Warriors: Well I'll be Doggone
by JeiJeiSummer
Summary: "So, w-what are we supposed to call him? Claykit or Clay...pup?" Dive into the moving story of Claykit, the first dog in history to live in the forest under the warrior code. Yes, this fanfic has risen from the dead and is ready to rock the house once again in this new revised edition. Reviews are very much appreciated.
1. Allegiances

**This story takes place directly after the events of "**_**A Dangerous Path**_**" but with minor alterations to the original story. Think of this FanFiction as a paralleled universe to the original arc. Like, if certain events didn't transpire, or if they had, this could be a possible result.**

**Alterations to note:**

**Tigerstar is NOT the leader of ShadowClan, however, he is exiled**

**Nightstar and Cinderfur did NOT die of the unknown deadly disease**

**Bramblepaw and Tawnypaw are still KITS by the time that Bluestar dies**

**Graystripe has not left his kits yet, so he still resides in RiverClan**

**This story contains BOTH cannon cats as well as original characters **

…**okay so maybe those are a lot of alterations… oops.**

"_**Well I'll be Doggone" Allegiances:**_

_[Italicized characters play somewhat of a big role in the story]_

_**[Bolded and italicized characters are VERY important in the story]**_

**THUNDERCLAN**

**LEADER**

_FIRESTAR- ginger tom with a flame-colored pelt_

APPRENTINCE, BRAMBLEPAW

MATE, SANDSTORM

**DEPUTY**

WHITESTORM- Big white tom

**MEDICINE CAT**

CINDERPELT- dark gray she-cat with a sprawled hind leg

**WARRIORS** (toms, and she-cats without kits)

DARKSTRIPE- Sleek black and gray tabby tom

LONGTAIL- Pale tabby tom with dark black stripes

_**EAGLECLAW- Big white and blue-gray tabby tom with blue eyes; right eye scarred**_

OFFSPRING, FUZZPAW, PETALPAW, SKYPAW

MOUSEFUR- Small dusky brown she-cat

GOLDENFLOWER- pale ginger she-cat

OFFSPRING, BRAMBLEPAW, TAWNYPAW

WILDWIND- Red, white, black, and brown mixed tom with yellow eyes

APPRENTINCE, TAWNYPAW

MATE- HAZELSHINE

OFFSPRING- RUSHKIT, SHADEKIT, BLAZEKIT

_BRIGHTHEART- White she-cat with ginger splotches; left side of the face heavily scarred_

MATE, CLOUDTAIL

_**BRACKENFUR- Golden brown tabby tom with green eyes**_

PUDDLESTEP- Blue-gray tabby she-cat with white paws and green eyes

MATE, BRANCHFOOT

OFFSPRING, HONEYPAW

DUSTPELT- Dark brown, tabby tom

MATE, FERNCLOUD

SANDSTORM- Pale ginger she-cat

MATE, FIRESTAR

_**ROSETAIL- White she-cat with a red tail and green eyes (Redtail's sister)**_

OFFSPRING, FUZZPAW, PETALPAW, SKYPAW

CLOUDTAIL- Long haired white tom

MATE, BRIGHTHEART

THORNCLAW- Golden brown tom

BRANCHFOOT- Brown tom with darker brown spots around feet; amber eyes

MATE, PUDDLESTEP

OFFSPRING, HONEYLEAF

ASHFUR – Gray tom [with darker flecks] with blue eyes

FERNCLOUD- Pale gray [with darker flecks] she-cat

MATE, DUSTPELT

**APPRENTINCES** (More than six moons old; in training to become a warrior)

HONEYPAW- Pale brown she-cat with brown eyes

_**SKYPAW- Gray-blue tabby tom with blue eyes**_

_**PETALPAW- White she-cat with pale red ears, paws and tail tip; has green eyes**_

_**FUZZPAW- Pale red tom with untamed fur and green eyes**_

_**BRAMBLEPAW- Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes**_

TAWNYPAW- Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**QUEENS** (She-cats expecting or nursing kits)

HAZELSHINE- Black she-cat with hazel eyes

MATE, WILDWIND

OFFSPRING, RUSHKIT, SHADEKIT, BLAZEKIT

**ELDERS** (Retired warriors and queens)

ONE-EYE- Pale gray she-cat, the oldest she-cat in ThunderClan; virtually blind and deaf

CLOUDSTREAM- Gray tabby tom with white streaks

OFFSPRING, EAGLECLAW, PUDDLESTEP

SMALLEAR- Gray tom with very small ears; the oldest tom in ThunderClan

SPECKLETAIL- Pale tabby she-cat

**KITS** (Under 6 moons; being nursed to become apprentices)

PEBBLEKIT- Black and white tom with yellow eyes

SHADEKIT- Small black she-cat with amber eyes

BLAZEKIT- Red tabby she-cat with hazel eyes

**SHADOWCLAN**

**LEADER**

NIGHTSTAR- Old black tom

**DEPUTY**

CINDERFUR- Thin gray tom

**MEDICINE CAT**

RUNNINGNOSE- small gray and white tom

APPRENTINCE, LITTLECLOUD- very small tabby tom

**WARRIORS** (toms, and she-cats without kits)

OAKFUR- Small brown tom

BLACKFOOT- Large black tom with huge jet-black paws

DARKFLOWER- Black she-cat

STUMPYTAIL- Brown tabby tom

WETFOOT- Gray tabby tom

ASHWING- Pale gray she-cat

SHREWLEG- Tortoiseshell she-cat with short legs

_**FROZENFANG- White tabby tom with a crooked jaw and broken teeth; gray eyes**_

APPRENTINCE, ICEPAW

JAGGEDTOOTH- Huge tabby tom

RUSSETFUR- Pale red she-cat

SILVERSPLASH- Silver tabby tom

STRIPEDFUR- Ginger tabby she-cat with darker stripes

FEATHERFLIGHT- Gray she-cat with white ears and paws

OFFSPRING, ICEPAW

LIONCLAW- Golden tabby tom

**APPRENTINCES** (More than six moons old; in training to become a warrior)

_**ARTICPAW- Small white she-cat with blue eyes**_

GRASSPAW- Tabby tom with green eyes

**QUEENS** (She-cats expecting or nursing kits)

MOSSLEAF- Ginger she-cat with green eyes

TALLPOPPY- Long-legged light brown tabby she-cat

WHITESTEP- Black she cat with white paws and tail

**ELDERS** (Retired warriors and queens)

SMOKEWHISPER- Dark gray tabby tom

**KITS** (Under 6 moons old; being nursed to become apprentices)

AMBERKIT- Small golden tom

CLOUDKIT- Black tom with white splotches

DUSKKIT- Pale brown tom

PATCHKIT- Tortoiseshell she-cat

**WINDCLAN**

**LEADER**

TALLSTAR- Black and white tom with a very long tail

**DEPUTY**

DEADFOOT- Black tom with a twisted foot

**MEDICINE CAT**

BARKFACE- Short-tailed brown tom

**WARRIORS** (toms, and she-cats without kits)

MUDCLAW- Mottled dark brown tom

QUIETSTEP- Small tabby she-cat

WEBFOOT- Dark gray tabby tom

BURNINGWHISKER- Red tabby tom

TORNEAR- Tabby tom

CLAYTOOTH- Big gray-brown tom

TAWNYFUR- Golden brown she-cat

FROZENLEAF- Pale ginger she-cat with blue eyes

PANTHERSPOTS- White tom with black specks

ONEWHISKER- brown tabby tom

APPRENTICE, GORSEPAW

RUNNINGBROOK- light gray she-cat

SNAKEBITE- Heavily scarred black tom

TWIGPELT- Dark brown tom

_**APPRENTINCES**_ (More than six moons old; in training to become a warrior)

GORSEPAW- Small brown tom

MENTOR, ONEWHISKER

**QUEEN****S** (She-cats expecting or nursing kits)

ASHFOOT- gray she-cat

MORNINGFLOWER- tortoiseshell she-cat

WHITETAIL- small white she-cat

RAINFALL- Blue gray she-cat

**ELDERS** (Retired warriors and queens)

_NONE_

**KITS** (Under 6 moons old; being nursed to become apprentices)

FOXKIT- Russet colored tom

GINGERKIT- Pale ginger she-cat

BRIGHTKIT- White she-cat

SNOWKIT- White she-cat

BERRYKIT- Red tom

**RIVERCLAN**

**LEADER**

CROOKEDSTAR- Huge light-brown tabby tom with a twisted jaw

**DEPUTY**

LEOPARDFUR- Unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat

**MEDICINE CAT**

MUDFUR- Long-haired light brown tom

**WARRIORS** (toms, and she-cats without kits)

BLACKCLAW- Smoky black tom

SUNSlASH- Golden she-cat

APPRENTINCE, BREEZEPAW

IVYCLAW- tabby tom with green eyes

SLEEKFUR- Black long-haired tom

APPRENTINCE, LILYPAW

HEAVYSTEP- Thickset tabby tom

APPRENTICE, DAWNPAW

STONEFUR- Gray tom with battle-scarred ears

MISTYFOOT- Gray she-cat with blue eyes

SOOTFALL- Tabby tom with black paws

SHADEPELT- Very dark gray she-cat

LOUDBELLY- Dark brown tom

GRAYSTRIPE- Long-haired gray tom, formerly to Thunderclan

SWEETFACE- Small ginger she-cat

APPRENTINCE, RIPPLEPAW

SAGEFUR- Big red tabby tom

APPRENTINCE, DAWNPAW

**APPRENTINCES** (More than six moons old; in training to become a warrior)

RIPPLEPAW- Gray tom

BREEZEPAW- White she-cat with long whiskers

GOLDENPAW- Golden brown she-cat

LILYPAW- small tabby she-cat with green eyes

DAWNPAW- Very pale brown she-cat

**QUEENS** (She-cats expecting or nursing kits)

ECHOWIND- Pale gray she-cat

**ELDERS** (Retired warriors and queens)

MOUSETAIL- Small brown tom with a very long tail

EMBERSLASH- Black Tom with very pale red stripes

LONGEARS- Gray she-cat with unusually long ears

**KITS** (Under 6 moons old; being nursed to become apprentices)

MINNOWKIT- Brown tom

**ANIMALS OUTSIDE CLANS**

BARLEY- Black and white tom that lives on a farm close to the forest

RAVENPAW- Sleek black cat who lives on the farm with Barley; formerly of Thunderclan

_**CLAYKIT- Small brown, black and white dog with hazel eyes who lives between the borders of Thunderclan and Riverclan; formerly of Thunderclan**_

_TIGERCLAW- Dark brown tabby tom with unusually long claws; formerly of Thunderclan_

PRINCESS- Light brown tabby she-cat with a distinctive white chest and paws; a kittypet

SMUDGE- plump black and white kittypet who lives in a house at the edge of the forest


	2. Discovery

_If this is your first time getting into this story, I hope you enjoy it and if you are a returning reader, I also hope that you like this _

_new and improved version! I am terribly sorry for leaving you guys hanging for so long. _

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_**Arc I **_

- **Chapter 1: Discovery** -

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_The sun glimmered brilliantly _though the broken, newly growing canopy of trees as a hunting patrol of ThunderClan cats padded though the forest_._ Despite the misfortunes the forest fire had caused not too long ago, it was a considerably nice day for hunting. As the cats approached the slope, Brackenfur stopped and pricked his ears for any sign of prey. With his mouth wide open, he managed to pick up the scent of rabbit through the acrid tang of old ash. Signaling with his tail for his clan mates to be quiet, the golden-brown warrior silently crept towards his target. Not even moments passed had he seen the brown ears of the rabbit- and quite a large one at that.

The golden warrior's whiskers switched with anticipation as he dropped down to a hunting crouch, targeting his prey. It was scuffling through the remains of the plants, tying to find something edible what wasn't completely charred or poisoned with ash. Brackenfur couldn't help but feel pity for the brown creature- as the whole clan knew, the forest fire didn't just affect their lives, but the prey around them as well. However, the golden warrior knew that he couldn't afford to let his sympathetic deportment get in the way of this catch. Finding a rabbit of this size was more critical than ever to catch considering that the clan was struggling to salvage even the smallest morsel. The forest was recovering fast, but with leaf-fall dragging the warmth of green-leaf away with its cold, sharp talons, the newly sprouting buds and leaves had no other choice but to succumb to nature's call.

_Leaf-bare will prove to be hard one this year, _Brackenfur thought to himself grimly. But in spite of their misgivings, ThunderClan would cope with the plight. Although Firestar had not given his nine lives until a few sunrises ago, the flamed-colored cat had already proven his unshakable loyalty and resolute to the clan. Despite being young, he was noble, wise, and always willing to put his cats above his needs for the better of the clan- for _any_ clan of that matter. The red tom had led WindClan back home after being exiled, helped ShadowClan chase out Brokentail and his rogues, gave food to RiverClan when they could not provide for themselves and exposed the real, treacherous ambitions of Tigerclaw to ThunderClan. Every cat had a reason to respect him, for he was truly one-of-a-kind. If anyone could hold the cats of ThunderClan together through their darkest hour, it was him.

With renewed determination, Brackenfur sprang from his hiding place and pounced to land squarely on the rabbit with puffs of gray ash springing up in his wake. Before it had time to squeal or even figure out what was going on, the golden warrior landed a swift bite to its neck, killing it in an instant. Brackenfur sent silent prayers to StarClan to thank them for allowing his party to come across such rich prey among the burned bushes. With the threat of the savage dogs that nearly destroyed ThunderClan gone and Tigerclaw nowhere to be scented or seen, the forest on a slow, but sure pace to recovery. At the moment, there was little to worry and so much to be thankful for.

_StarClan knows we need a break_, Brackenfur thought exasperatedly.

"Nice catch, Brackenfur!" Sandstorm praised as she trotted up to him with the rest of the hunting patrol consisting of Mousefur and Thornpaw right behind her.

"Oh, wow!" Thornpaw gawked as he stared at the prey in awe. "That rabbit is _huge_!" It was true- the rabbit was large, nearly half the size of Brackenfur and quite hefty. The warrior's only reply was a stifled grunt, considering that's all he could say with a mouthful of fur. He half walked, half staggered aside to scrape dirt over his prey so that it could be collected later. Once the deed was done, he refocused his attention on the group of cats in front of him.

"Right, so Thornpaw, what can you smell?" Mousefur questioned her apprentice. The young brown tabby tom straightened up and opened his mouth to drink in the forest scents.

"Umm…mouse... and thrush!" He replied triumphantly.

"Very good." Mousefur praised as she gently let her tail touch his flank. Brackenfur was impressed with the apprentices' progress. It could not be long now until his warrior ceremony. Thinking of this, Brackenfur had the sudden urge to have his own apprentice that he could teach in the ways of the warrior code. He knew that it would be a while before he was even offered the opportunity, considering he was still a young, newly named warrior. This set-back, however, did not stop Brackenfur from being ecstatic about the future.

Suddenly without warning, Thornpaw screwed up his face in disgust and confusion. With nostrils flaring and mouth agape, he inhaled deeply, nearly causing himself to stumble backwards. "Wait…!" The apprentice reconsidered quickly. "There's another scent that's weird...and foul smelling..." Sandstorm drew in a quick whiff before giving Thornpaw a skeptical look.

"That's the Thunderpath. Come on, you should know that one." She huffed, ears twitching in irritation. Thornpaw had been an apprentice for a great while now so there was no reason why he should not recognize the Thunderpath scent by now. They all knew that Thornpaw's warrior ceremony, along with Ashpaw's and Fernpaw's, were long overdue. Their den mate, Cloudtail, had been promoted to warrior status but when Bluestar was in reign, she had refused to offer the same thing to the other apprentices, claiming they weren't ready. This only made the remaining apprentices more determined than ever to prove themselves, only this time to Firestar.

"No, no…I don't think it's that…" The apprentice pushed on hesitantly with his claim. "It kinda smells kit-like…milky even, but it also has a layer of _dirt _floating on top of it…" Confusion danced though his amber eyes as Thornpaw's face screwed up even more. Gradually, Brackenfur became a little concerned. Had one of Rosetail's kits escaped from the nursery and gotten lost? It was almost time for them to be apprenticed, but even so, they don't have the proper skills to be out in the forest alone! The golden-brown warrior quickly drew in the scents of the forest and realized that Thornpaw's unidentified scent smelled nothing of ThunderClan, but like he said, a dirt covered kit. Judging by the looks Mousefur and Sandstorm were giving him, their thoughts mirrored his.

"Okay, so I think Thornpaw may be on to something," Brackenfur started, straightening out his posture. "The smell is coming from near Snakerocks and I think we should go check it out. We need to figure out what this smell is so if necessary, we can report it back to Firestar." All cats of the party swiftly nodded. Brackenfur then turned to lead the way out of the clearing and towards the uncanny scent. Suddenly, it felt like someone had cuffed him hard in the gut at the thought of that there may be trouble _yet again_ at Snakerocks. What if now it was a hoard of smelly badgers out for the blood of ThunderClan? Or Twolegs doing stupid Twolegs stuff? Whatever it was, Brackenfur had to stay calm for the sake of the party. After all, what would the others think of him if he stood cowering in the corner like some terrified kit? Pushing his worries to the back of his mind, the golden-brown warrior began to slow his pace as the foul-smelling scent became stronger.

"Keep down and try not to make too much noise." Brackenfur muttered over his shoulder as he slid on silent paws. "Whatever is out there, we need not to give it any warning that we are here." By now, the scent was overbearing and it was hard for Brackenfur not to cough in disgust as they neared even closer to Snakerocks.

Abruptly, Mousefur stopped dead in her tracks, ears twitching vigorously. "Do you guys hear that?" She hissed, glancing around in distaste. Pricking his ears, Brackenfur also heard the noise; it sounded like faint wailing of a kit. Now more alarmed than ever, Brackenfur was determined to find this creature.

"This way, quick!" He whispered aggressively as he bolted in full sprint, leaving his clan mates to follow. The crying was becoming louder and louder with every paw step.

_Great StarClan, why is there a kit way out here?_

The grass under paw soon turned into solid rock as Brackenfur fully reached Snakerocks. Stopping at a small crevice in a rock wall, the golden-warrior had finally found his target. Sniffing and staring in horror, Brackenfur finally realized what the unknown possible threat was.

From the group, Thornpaw was the first one to catch up to Brackenfur, panting to grasp his breath. "Did you find the- wait…is that a…?" The apprentice's amber eyes went wide with comprehension. "A-a-ahh! I-I-It's a d-dog!" He shrank back and ran behind Mousefur and Sandstorm as they were just approaching. Suddenly, he looked like a kit again; hiding from danger behind its' mother, but no one could blame him. After what had happened only quarter moon ago, it's expected that everyone in the clan would be more on edge about that said topic of interest.

"Is there…really a dog in there?" Sandstorm inquired uneasily, her claws flexing in and out of her paws. Brackenfur looked from the group to the dog…only it wasn't a dog, but a helpless pup crying for help. It was fairly small, with brown and black along its flanks, floppy ears and most of the tail. Its' muzzle was white, along with its tail tip, under belly and paws. Honestly, it looked utterly helpless, unlike the brutal animals that attacked not too long ago. Heck, it looked like it was no older than a new born kit! What damage could it possibly do?

"Don't worry, it's only a pup. Its' eyes aren't even open yet." Brackenfur tried to assure himself more than the group.

Mousefur then forcefully stepped forward with her claws unsheathed, fur bristling and lips curled. "Just a pup you say?" She snapped and Brackenfur winced at her harshness. "And what, do you think they are going to stay like that forever?" Honestly, young warriors these days think that they know everything!" She pushed on to stand directly in front of the crevice to look at the dog-pup. The brown she-cat then let out a menacing snarl as her claws scraped at the hard rock surface.

"Look at the pitiful piece of fox dung!" Mousefur spat. "I say we finish it off right now! It probably won't survive another night anyway." Horrified, Brackenfur felt his mind running like a rabbit that was being hunted. Again, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for another creature that he really shouldn't feel for. The poor thing was all alone for who knows how long. It wouldn't be fair if the scrap was killed right then and there.

"It's probably belonged to the dog pack and was left here after they all fled." Sandstorm mused out loud, also beginning to bristle and unsheathe. Thornpaw was trembling flat against the ground with this tail thrashing violently, trying to make what was happening at the scene.

"Wait!" I...I don't think we should kill it…" Brackenfur tentatively muttered as he shuffled on uneasy paws.

Mousefur immediately shout him a loathsome glare and stomped up so that they were nose to nose."Are you completely mouse-brained?" She challenged him. "In case you haven't noticed, Brackenfur, that is a _dog_. You know, it's only those creatures that nearly killed us a couple of sunrises ago! Dogs and cats don't mix well together and you're saying we should let it live, after all the pain its' kind has caused us?" Brackenfur tried his best to hold his ground. This pup could have easily been born a kit, and left to die in the forest. How could they abandon it, when they wouldn't a poor kit?

"I…j-just think it would be best to take it back to Firestar and- and have him decide what to do with it…" He mumbled, not daring to alter his eyes from Mousefur's cold, amber stare. Her tail slashed wildly as her face scrunched up even further. Just when the conflicted warrior thought he was going to be on the receiving end of a powerful swipe, Mousefur swiftly turned away.

"Toms!" She hissed. "Do whatever you like, but keep that piece of crow-food away from me!" Those last words were thrown over her shoulder as she dashed back to the forest cover. After a moment of hesitation, Sandstorm and Thornpaw were on her heels. Standing there alone, Brackenfur suppressed a sigh and turn his attention to the pup. Would it really be smart to go through with all of this? But knowing the mess that he got himself into, there was no way he could back out now. Reaching over to grasp the scruff of the pup, he pulled it out of the crevice and it whimpered pitifully at the sudden unknown contact. Now getting a good look at it, one could easily see all its' ribs and bones. This pup needed serious help, and fast.

Brackenfur started padding back towards the tree line and into ThunderClan territory. He tried to stay calm because when he would arrive back at camp, things were bound to be hectic.

_Great StarClan, what have I got myself into?_

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**DISCLAIMER: I don't own warriors or any of the cannon cats.**

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	3. Judgement

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_**Arc I **_

- **Chapter 2: Judgment** -

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_Every pawstep was a struggle._ Even though the pup was malnourished, it became increasingly heavy during the way back. It was getting close to the evening and Brackenfur had only just made it to the camp tunnel entrance. He was quite surprised to see Sandstorm, Mousefur and Thornpaw waiting for him just in front of it.

"W-we decided to wait for you…" Thornpaw mumbled without making eye contact. All around their paws were their prey they had collected earlier in the day including Brackenfur's giant rabbit. The golden-brown warrior was about to voice his gratitude, but he was unfortunately interrupted by the wining of the pup. It had stopped most the way here, but now it was crying again.

"Tch, if it continues on like this, cats all the way in StarClan will go deaf!" Mousefur snorted. "Come on, let's get this over with." She bent down to pick up her prey and trotted through the tunnel. Brackenfur stared at the party, completely dumbfounded. He couldn't tell whose side his clan mates were on.

"This should be interesting…" Sandstorm grunted as she also followed though the tunnel with her prey in her mouth. Thornpaw soon joined in shortly afterwards. Taking a deep breath, Brackenfur pushed his way into the clearing. _This is it._ The anxious warrior felt all of his muscles tense, ready for the confrontation he had in front of him.

Everything had seemed normal as Brackenfur padded in. Warriors were sharing tongues with each other after their evening meal, the elders were gossiping around their old stump and the apprentices were play wrestling off to the side. Just as he began to relax, the pup let out its loudest wail ever. Every cat stopped what they were doing and turned to look in the direction of where the pitiful cry had come from. Almost at once, they began to spit and bristle.

"Is that a dog?"

"What's _it_ doing here?"

"Brackenfur, what in the name of StarClan?!"

The golden-brown warrior felt as if he had mouse bile in his throat. Why didn't he think this over? He had no idea how to respond to everyone, and when Firestar emerged from the base of Highrock, Brackenfur couldn't move. The red-pelted leader padded slowly to him with a bewildered and shocked expression on his face. When he stopped, he looked down at the pup dismissed a low growl.

"Brackenfur…what is the meaning of this?" Firestar demanded. He then shuffled to sit down with a "you-better-explain-yourself" expression on his features. Firestar wasn't the one to show anger so easily, but when he did get ruffled, it was quite daunting. However, the blazing warrior had every reason to be ticked off- Brackenfur brought a _d__og_ into his territory for StarClan's sake! All the cats from the clan came up and formed a loose circle around Brackenfur and Firestar, with Rosetail's kits one of the first ones to be there. They stared with big, innocent eyes at the bundle of fur now placed underneath Brackenfur's paws.

"What's wrong with that kit, mother?" Petalkit asked as she sniffed at the pup. She was the smallest of the litter, resembling more of her mother with light red ear tips and paws. The rest of her body was white.

"Yeah, why are its ears all big and floppy?" Skykit questioned as his head tilted to the side. He got his name from having striking blue eyes and a faded, gray-blue coat. Both of these stunning traits came from his father, Eagleclaw.

"And it smells yucky too!" Fuzzkit joked as he covered his nose with his paws. He was the largest of the three kits with pale, untamed red fur. No matter how many times he or his mother groomed, his fur never would lay down. As the kits continued to ask countless questions, Rosetail came up from behind them and sat down.

"Now, where are you manners?" She scolded the kits gently, but roughly enough to get the point across. "I'm sure Brackenfur will have good answers for all your questions." She glanced up and shot a sympathetic look to the golden-brown warrior with her ivy-green eyes. The white and red queen and Brackenfur had been close friends- the tom was even considering becoming her mate, but she had chosen Eagleclaw over him and claimed that she only saw them as friends. The golden warrior was distraught at the news but despite being shut down, they still remained good friends. However, the main problem resided in Eagleclaw. He didn't exactly like Brackenfur, for the reason that he was close Rosetail before him. He was a big and powerful white and blue-gray tom with fierce blue eyes. Brackenfur didn't particularly have a problem with him, but Eagleclaw always saw him as a constant threat to Rosetail and as a result, Brackenfur always felt his pelt prickle with irritation and unease around the strong tomcat.

"Yeah, _good_ answers, huh?" A husky voice spat at the back of the group. Brackenfur turned his head and the golden warrior felt his heart drop at the sight of seeing the cat of his thoughts.

_Perfect_, he thought. _Just _freakin'_ perfect._

Eagleclaw was staring at Brackenfur so intently and scornfully that the troubled warrior thought he would drown in the depths of his blue eyes. What Rosetail saw in him, Brackenfur would never know.

"_Ahem_, well if you're done small talking, would you please explain why you brought a _dog_ here, Brackenfur?" Firestar asked, redirecting the conversation. Brackenfur took a nervous, deep breath, deciding that it would be best to start from the beginning.

"Well, while I was out hunting with Thornpaw, Mousefur and Sandstorm, Thornpaw had picked up an unfamiliar scent." He explained with a quick glance to the apprentice who was on the far right side of him with his eyes staring at his paws. "We followed the trail to a crevice in Snakerocks and that's where I found this pup." He looked down and prodded the pup slightly and it twitched its' paw feebly in response. "I was shocked to see a dog-pup for that matter to be left alone. Judging by its appearance, it hasn't been taken care of in quite some time and it looks quite sick. I thought that if I brought it back to Thun-"

"Brought it back to ThunderClan so we could take care of it? Is that it?" A young, white warrior by the name of Cloudtail yelled. He got up and moved towards Brightheart to protectively stand in front of her. "You want us to raise a killer to murder us all?" Brackenfur knew that he was hinting about what happen to Brightheart when the dog pack was loose in the forest not too long ago. She used to be a beautiful she-cat, but now half of the side of her face had no fur, eye or ear; just pink, faded brutal scars and gorges. It was the result of the devastating dog attack when she was an apprentice. She was lucky to be alive, unlike Swiftpaw sadly. The golden warrior looked on sullenly at the she-cat of interest. She was staring at the pup in terror and her body was clearly shaking uncontrollably.

"No! Well…what I meant was that if we raise it to be on our side, then mayb-" Brackenfur began only to be interrupted _yet again_.

"Is this how we want to show off ThunderClan?" Darkstripe yelled from the side of the group. "To show that we're nothing but a bunch of kittypets with dogs, cripples, and warriors who ignore the warrior code? Get that thing out of here now!" Before Tigerclaw had been sent to exile, Darkstripe, Dustpelt, Eagleclaw and Longtail had been his closest friends. Dustpelt, Eagleclaw and Longtail seemed to have lost _some_ of their hostility towards others, but it appeared that Darkstripe still held venom on his tongue.

"All in all, it is up to _Firestar_ to decide the final decisions, not you, Darkstripe." Cinderpelt, the medicine cat of ThunderClan growled, obviously offended at being called a _cripple_. The dark warrior's only reply was a hefty grunt as he turned his head. When Cinderpelt was also an apprentice, she injured her leg badly beyond repair. Knowing that she could never be a warrior, she turned to the duty of a medicine cat. The she-cat of interest then averted her gaze from the dark tabby to her leader. "So Firestar, what do you think we should do?"

Firestar glanced from her, to Brackenfur, and then finally to the pup. His face was very serious in a thoughtful manner as his eyes narrowed at _it_. Moons seemed to have passed before Firestar altered his eyes and stood up. He then bounded over to Highrock and raised his voice.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather underneath Highrock!" He yowled. Mostly all the cats of ThunderClan were in the clearing, so they just shuffled to get closer to hear better. Brackenfur picked up the pup, but only moved forward a fox-length to stay near the back of the group. As Firestar waited of the last of the cats to come, his red fur blazed like fire in the last gathering sunlight as he looked to the early Silverpelt. Brackenfur could see that his eyes were closed and he was mouthing inaudible words towards the sky.

_Is he praying to StarClan?_

Just as if the exploit had never happened, Firestar snapped out of his reverie and looked down to his anxious clan.

_Here goes nothing…_

"Now I know you all are awaiting my answer regarding the dog issue," he began, "but there are some things I want to do first. Skykit, Fuzzkit, Petalkit, step forward please." The kits had shocked expression on their faces, but hesitantly did what they were told.

"I know it's rather sudden, but I would like to appoint three new apprentices today." He continued, his expression softening. The kits could barely contain their excitement as they squeaked and began to shake with enthusiasm and anxiousness."You have been with us for six moons. Today, you will start your warrior training. Your father is a brave, strong warrior and you mother is a steadfast, shrewd clan mate. May you all pad in their pawsteps."

Brackenfur glanced at Eagleclaw who had been murmuring quietly to Longtail. He had stopped and was staring proudly at his kits. Sure he may be a bossy, arrogant fur ball, but he was a great warrior and a dependable father. He made sure to look out for his mate and kits.

"Skykit, Petalkit and Fuzzkit. From this moment on, you shall be known as Skypaw, Petalpaw and Fuzzpaw." Firestar meowed. "Longtail."

Longtail looked up sharply at him, his pale, blue eyes shining with revelation.

"You will mentor Skypaw. Train him well to be a fine warrior."

Blinking, Longtail stepped forward to touch his muzzle to Skypaw's head, to which the newly appointed apprentice licked his shoulder respectfully in return.

"Puddlestep," Firestar went on. "You shall mentor Petalpaw. I insure that you will pass on your quick wits and skills to make her a fine warrior." Puddlestep, a gray tabby she-cat with white paws, and the sister to Eagleclaw, padded forward and greeted Petalpaw with the same gesture that Longtail had done.

"And last, but not least, Darkstripe." Firestar meowed with a faint hint of uncertainty in his eyes. "You shall mentor Fuzzpaw. Pass your skills down to him to make a warrior the clan will be proud of." Darkstripe then stepped forward with a smug grin on his face to accept Fuzzpaw.

"Petalpaw! Fuzzpaw! Skypaw!" The cats cheered, welcoming the new apprentices to the clan. The three blushed madly as they stared around the crowd. Rosetail then padded forward and licked each of their heads in turn.

"I'm so proud of you all!" She purred with a pleased gleam in her eyes. Brackenfur was proud of the kits as well, but he didn't dare go up to them, especially with the dog predicament at hand and Eagleclaw walking over to them.

Firestar went on with the meeting, granting Ashfur, Thornclaw and Ferncloud with their long awaited warrior names. ThunderClan was thriving. With three new warriors and apprentices, they were growing strong!

As happy as Brackenfur was with all the accomplishments, he couldn't help but worry about his problem. What was going to happen to the pup? Could he stay? Would the clan accept him? The golden-brown warrior was nearly about to rip out his own fur in anticipation until Firestar spoke again.

"Now, on to a more serious topic. I have decided what to do about the appearance of this dog." The clan's expression went from smile to scowl as all the attention was focused back on Brackenfur and the pup. The golden warrior swallowed hard as his paws became sweaty and hot.

_This is it._

"Brackenfur, StarClan knows why you brought that pup here, but I will reason with you." Firestar began. "If someone won't mind looking after the pup until its' sixth moon, then he can stay and grow in the life of the warrior code, but if no queen will volunteer to the offer… the pup will be dealt with." Brackenfur winced almost immediately. It was great that the pup would be able to stay…but what if no one offered to adopt it? And what did Firestar mean by "dealt with"?

_StarClan help me!_

Moments passed as no she-cat accepted the offer. Brackenfur lowered his head and ears in disappointment. He was hoping that at least _someone_ felt the same way about the pup as he did, but apparently not. As the distraught warrior was about to accept his defeat, Rosetail suddenly stepped forward.

"I'll look after him." She stated boldly. Everyone gasped, including Brackenfur. "My kits have just been apprenticed but I still have plenty of milk to offer." Brackenfur could hardly believe what he was hearing. His best friend was willing to put up with a burden _this _big?

"But Rosetail!" Eagleclaw yelled, his eyes briefly flashing with hurt, "You can't! Have you forgotten what that _thing_ has done to us not to long ago?" He was making a real effort to keep his voice from cracking with shock and disbelief.

"Call me mouse-brained if you want, but I can't just sit here and watch a helpless creature die." Rosetail replied.

"Then it's settled." Firestar sharply dismissed. "We shall now call this pup Claykit, in name of his fur color. _Hopefully_, he will live up to meet the standards of the warrior code. If not..well let's not worry about that at this time." And with that, the ThunderClan leader jumped off Highrock and headed towards his den. As the cats began to fan out to gossip amongst themselves about the new turn of events, Rosetail padded over to Brackenfur.

"Rosetail, I can't even tell you how thank-" Brackenfur began before he was cut off by the brief touch of Rosetail's muzzle on his flank.

"Don't worry, I know." She meowed gently as she looked into his eyes. Brackenfur inhaled her sweet scent and instantly calmed down. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eagleclaw glaring at him in disgust and hatred, but Brackenfur didn't let him spoil their moment. The big brute could go eat fox-dung for all he cared right now.

"Here, let me take Claykit to the nursery so I can feed." Rosetail mewed and she bent down by Brackenfur's paws to gently grasp Claykit by his scruff. The poor thing didn't even have the strength to whine anymore as he hung limply in the air.

"Rosetail, I promise everyday I'll come see you and Claykit and bring you the best piece of fresh-kill from the pile." Brackenfur assured, his voice full of determination. Rosetail nodded her thanks, turned, and headed to the nursery entrance, flicking her red tail for Brackenfur to follow. The golden-brown warrior padded eagerly after her with a new light of hope in his body.

_Thank StarClan this has been settled. I guarantee I'll make Claykit the best warrior this clan has ever seen._

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_**Reviews are appreciated. Tell me your thoughts on the story!**_

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	4. Awakening

_I am aware that kits don't actually call their mothers "mom", but I've always imagined them using that idiom until they were _at least_ apprentices. I mean, picture a child addressing their mother by her first name- to me, that just ain't right. As the story progresses, you'll notice that I will sometimes break the "Warriors Writer Code" by giving the characters human characteristics (i.e making cats/dogs shed tears, have them use terms that are somewhat human [like heck and freakin'] etc. etc.). Sorry, but I can't help it; it's just my style of writing!_

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_**Arc I **_

- **Chapter 3: Awakening** -

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_Ten sunrises have passed since _Claykit was accepted into ThunderClan. Well…accepted might be a _slight_ stretch on words. Nearly every cat except for Rosetail and Petalpaw kept their distance from the pup and Brackenfur. In the warriors den, every one shifted away from the golden-brown warrior, so he often slept cold because of the open drafts. Many cats believed that Claykit will one day turn on them, or that he'll never be accepted by StarClan, but Brackenfur was determined to prove them all wrong.

The said tom-cat of interest pushed his way through the vine screens at the entrance of the nursery, carrying a juicy vole in his mouth. He was on his daily routine to check up on Rosetail and Claykit.

"Hi, Brackenfur." Rosetail whispered in greetings, motioning with her muzzle to her newly adopted son. "Make sure you don't wake him." Claykit was curled up in the curve of Rosetail's flank, sleeping peacefully with his little pink tongue sticking out. Brackenfur couldn't help but snicker a bit as he set the vole down and laid next to Rosetail, eyes fixed on Claykit in amusement.

It was as if Claykit was never on the brink of death. Sure, it took a while to get him to suckle Rosetail's milk, but now he doesn't hesitate when he's hungry. Because he's finally getting the nutrients he needs, he put on some much needed pounds. Now Claykit doesn't look like a walking skeleton with a pelt it stole from a dog anymore!

"He's growing fast." Brackenfur commented proudly. Rosetail, who was prodding the vole with her paw, glanced up to the golden-brown warrior.

"What? Oh…yeah. He is, isn't he?" She murmured nonchalantly. Brackenfur could immediately tell that there was something wrong with Rosetail. She _never_ spoke this flatly of Claykit. Plus, she had a distant, sullen look swimming in the depths of her deep, green eyes.

"Rosetail…what's wrong?" Brackenfur questioned quietly, getting worried. "Aren't you glad for Claykit?" Had Rosetail began to judge Claykit like everyone else in the clan?

_No. She's not like that… I've known Rosetail for too long to know that she would never give up so easily._

"Rosetail…" Brackenfur pressed as he looked at her pleadingly.

Suddenly, Rosetail stopped prodding the vole and threw her paws over her eyes. "I-I don't know what to do anymore Brackenfur!" She stuttered. "Am I really doing the right- the right thing? Raising Claykit?"

"Of course you are!" Brackenfur assured her, taken aback by her uncharacteristic behavior. "Rosetail, if it wasn't for you, Claykit would be _dead_." The golden warrior was always used to seeing a joyful and cheerful she-cat and never had he seen her have a mental break down like this before.

"I know, I know. I'm proud of him, really I am- but he's not really the thing I'm worried about though…" Brackenfur let out a silent breath of relief. If Claykit wasn't what was bothering her, then what was?

"What itching under your fur?" Brackenfur asked gently as he put his paw on her shoulder in comfort.

"It's Eagleclaw…" Rosetail croaked, her ears falling back in discomfort. "He hasn't talked or looked at me since the award ceremony but I've heard that he's been telling our kits to not to talk to me or follow in my pawsteps or worst of all… not even recognize me as their mother anymore. Petalpaw obviously ignored him and comes to see me and Claykit almost as often as you do, Skypaw murmurs 'hi' whenever he passes near me when I'm out to stretch or go make dirt and Fuzzpaw…he's just like his father, never making eye contact. And it doesn't help that Darkstripe is his mentor…" The red and white she-cat then averted her gaze to stare the ground as she finished.

Brackenfur honestly did not see that coming. Now that he thought about it though, Petalpaw really was the only one out of Rosetail's family who wasn't ashamed to see her or Claykit.

After a couple moments of brief shock, Brackenfur spoke up. "Now that's a load of rabbit droppings." The golden-brown warrior growled inwardly at the thought of how much pain Eagleclaw was causing Rosetail. He was her mate for StarClan's sake! Why was he spreading mouse bile around about her? "Eagleclaw is too full of himself. Once he sees how much Claykit can do, he'll go back to his old, _moderately_ less grumpy self." However, Brackenfur only hoped that was half true. The longer Eagleclaw kept his distance from Rosetail, the closer _he_ was getting to her.

The red and white she-cat looked up with her huge, watery, emerald eyes. "You think so?" She asked in a small voice. Bracken turned his head to lick her ear affectionately.

"I know so." He promised and Rosetail smiled genuinely.

"Brackenfur…thanks." She meowed as she buried her head in his flank.

A small smile formed across the golden warrior's features. "Heh, that's what friends are for, right?" He replied back. _At least, I want to be _more_ than that._ "Now, eat your vole before your loud stomach growling scares off all the prey from here to Fourtrees!" Brackenfur teased in an attempt to rid the atmosphere of tension.

Rosetail cuffed his head softly as she did what she was told."Bossy fur ball." She retorted with amusement dancing in her eyes. Brackenfur relaxed when he saw that Rosetail had returned back to her usual self. As she ate, Claykit let out a random squeak as he sat up with confusion in his eyes.

_Wait-his eyes… Claykit's eyes are _open!

"Rosetail, look!" Brackenfur exclaimed, not even bothering to maintain composure. "Claykit's eyes are open!" Rosetail nearly choked as she tried to talk with food in her mouth. When she was finally able to swallow, she began to purr deeply.

"Aww, they're beautiful Brackenfur!" She beamed as she bent down to lick Claykit. "Hello little one, welcome to ThunderClan." Claykit yipped as he recognized his foster mother by her sent. He stood up on clumsy paws and started yelping happily with his tail wriggling in the air. His eyes were a brilliant shade of hazel, which shown of unmistakable happiness.

_He's one step closer to becoming a warrior! _

At that moment, Goldenflower padded in with her two kits, Bramblekit and Tawnykit- back from their day outside of the nursery. The golden queen let out a contemptuous snort and moved to the farthest corner of the den, not bothering to pay any attention to the cats already present. Claykit, who had not noticed her hostile intro, stumbled over to her excitedly at the sight of new company. However, before he fully reached her, Goldenflower forcefully pushed him back with her hind paw.

"Keep _it_ away from me." She growled as Claykit tumbled backwards on the sandy-earth floor. Goldenflower then plopped down with her back to the pup, obviously wanting nothing more to do with him. Claykit merely shook off the sand from his brown, black and white pelt and turned his attention to the two older kits.

"Hi Claykit! It's nice to see that your eyes are finally open!" Bramblekit squeaked and he prodded the pups' shoulder softly with a paw half the size of Claykit's small head. Bramblekit was nearly twice his size, at three moons compared to the half-moon old Claykit.

"H-Hwye!" Claykit copied. He had said "hi" but considering that he half barked, half meowed, his words came out slurred and dismantled.

"He spoke!" Bramblekit squealed, bouncing up and down with joy. Claykit tried to copy him again, but he couldn't quite figure out how to get his paws off the ground. The young dark tabby kit then gave off a small laugh. "Don't worry, you'll get it soon."

"How can you be so open to him?" Tawnykit asked off to the side. The little tortoiseshell she-cat was keeping her distance from Claykit, her eyes darting accusingly across the infantile dog. "He looks and talks weird. There's something wrong with him and I don't like it."

"Oh, so if you talk for the first time, and have brown fur, that's makes you weird too?" Bramblekit accused, defending Claykit.

"No, but I don't have big, floppy ears and wag my tail like some dumb fox." The tawny colored kit argued.

"What, did you have thistles in your milk this morning? The fact that he is a little different doesn't make him a dummy. If you don't want to be Claykit's friend then…then I guess that's just too bad for you." Bramblekit snorted to his sister and turned his attention back to Claykit. Tawnykit glared at him before whipping around to go sit with her mother.

As he watched the whole event unfold, Brackenfur couldn't believe what his ears were hearing. There was another cat in the clan who accepted Claykit for who he was and not judge him by his looks and heritage! …But then again, Bramblekit was too young to know why Claykit was so different so only time will tell whether the dark tabby kit would stay this friendly towards Claykit once he learned the truth.

Suddenly, the pup of interest let out a big yawn, closed his eyes and laid down right where he was. Bramblekit let out a small _mrrow_ and bent over to pick him up by his scruff. Claykit's tail and hind legs dragged in the sand as Bramblekit struggled to bring him over to Rosetail, where he then placed the pup by her belly.

"Silly, you can't fall asleep in the middle of the floor! You have to sleep next to your mom and dad." He mewed. "When you wake up, let's play some more!" And with that, Bramblekit dipped his head respectfully to Rosetail and Brackenfur and trotted off to his own family.

"You know, dogs aren't that much different from cats." Rosetail murmured unexpectedly while she bent over to lull Claykit to sleep with her rhythmic licks. "We both just want _love_ and _attention_ in the end." Brackenfur nodded his agreement as he looked on at the two.

"Ma…Da…" Claykit muttered slightly. Rosetail's purring only became louder after hearing his little remark. Brackenfur on the other hand found himself a little taken aback. Claykit thinks that he and Rosetail are his parents? Then again, so did Bramblekit. The golden-brown warrior then shrugged his shoulders happily at the thought.

_I couldn't ask for a better son._

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_**Written by AwsmYoshi on FanFiction**_

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	5. New World

_Let me go ahead and come out to say that Claykit is a beagle mix, meaning that when he's fully grown, he won't tower over the cats around him (he'll be roughly around half to a full tail-length taller than the others). I know some of you will argue with me by saying that there were no small breeds of dogs present at Snakerocks, but cut me some slack here. I really didn't want to deal with the _extensive_ height differences- plus it's FanFiction, so I do what I want._

_Trust me though, all of the dissimilarities will be fully covered by the fact that there is a dog trying to live in the ways of cats. I think that right there is enough for us to worry about._

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_**Arc I **_

- **Chapter 4: New World** -

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_"Rawr! Imma bagger and I'm _gonna eat chu!" Claykit yelled as he jumped on the back of Bramblekit and started nipping playfully at his ears. Claykit has been in ThunderClan for two moons now and even though he was three moons younger than Bramblekit, he was now nearly his size. The pup still had issues speaking properly, but he was getting better and better at it every day.

"Okay, okay! I give in Mr. Badger!" Bramblekit mewed in defeat. Claykit let him up, sat down and began to scratch his ear with his hind leg triumphantly. Nearly every day was spent like this, playing with his best buddy, Bramblekit. The dark tabby kit of interest slowly got up before crouching down, watching Claykit's every move with his amber eyes.

"Wha are you-" Claykit never finished his thought, for bundle of fur slammed into him.

"ThunderClan sneak attack!" Bramblekit yelled mischievously as he and Claykit rolled together on the sandy floor of the nursery. Without knowing, they accidently kicked dust in Tawnykit's face, who was glaring at them out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey, watch it!" She growled as she hastily wiped her eyes with her paws. Claykit and Bramblekit immediately separated and padded over to Tawnykit.

"Sowwy Tawwykit. We din mean to get sand in your fwace." Claykit apologized honestly. The tawny-colored she-kit let out a huff of irritation.

"_Tawnykit_, you annoying fur ball, get it right!" She shouted agitatedly.

"Hey, it's not his fault." Bramblekit cut in defiantly. "He's trying his best you know!" Ever since Bramblekit started playing with Claykit, he and Tawnykit fought over nearly everything. Why couldn't she just try to like Claykit for once?

"Tch, whatever." The she-cat muttered. "If you're going to act like a bunch of rabbits being chased, then go outside and do it!" She then turned and stalked off to the other side of the nursery.

"Go outside?" Claykit echoed. He had never been outside before and now he really wanted to go! Taking the opportunity, the brown, white and black pup bounded over to his sleeping mother and prodded her with his front paws.

"Hey, ma! Mama! MA!" He squeaked in an effort to arouse her from her slumber. Rosetail slowly raised her head and looked down to Claykit.

"What is it, little one?" She questioned, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

"Can I go outside pwease?"

Rosetail's reply was hesitant. "Well…"

"Pwetty pwease with a thrush on top?" Claykit begged, now giving her the classic "puppy eyes".

"Oh, you know I hate it when you do what!" Rosetail teased affectionately. "Alright you can go, as long as Bramblekit won't mind going with you."

"Bwamblekit?" Claykit asked as he turned his head to his friend.

"You bet!" He answered.

"Yay!" Claykit chimed, his tail wagging rapidly. "Danks, ma!" He then gave her a lick on her cheek with his big, pink tongue. "Let's go!" With Bramblekit right behind him, he pushed his way through the vine screen into the vast, unknown world. Once he was out, Claykit stopped dead in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" Bramblekit asked as he caught up. Claykit stared outward with his round, hazel eyes in astonishment.

_Whoa…Dis is waaay bigger dan da nursewy!_

Claykit watched as cats moved across the clearing talking, dropping off prey in the pile or just simply sharing tongues with one another. There were so many of them! How was it that anyone could keep up with all of their names and assigned jobs?

"Bigger than you thought, huh?" Bramblekit joked. Claykit nodded his head vaguely in response. "Yeah, that's how I felt when I stepped out for the first time. Here, let me show you around!" Bramblekit gave his friend a small nudge from behind and let the way over to the apprentices den. As they walked, cats began to inch away from the both of them in a furtive manner. Only one or two actually grunted a greeting at the pair.

_Wha's wrong with evwyone? I'm kinda used to cats stayin away from me cuz Imma wittle diffwent or somden, but why Bwamblekit as well?_

Claykit shrugged the thought off and continued after his friend. This was his first time outside, so of course this was probably how the clan reacted on a daily basis.

Soon the two young animals came up to a rock that had moss and lichen over-hanging its opening. "This is the apprentices den." Bramblekit informed Claykit. "Me and Tawnykit will be sleeping in here next moon!" The pup frowned at that thought. Bramblekit was supposed to sleep in the nursery and Claykit didn't like the idea of not having him there to play with.

"Can I come with ya?" He asked innocently.

"Well…not until your six moons old." Bramblekit replied and Claykit's tail drooped in response.

"…Bu why? I thought we were fwiends!" The pup wailed.

"We are!" Bramblekit meowed quickly. "It's just that-"

"Bramblekit and Tawnykit will soon be apprentices." A new voice meowed from the other side of the ferns. A white head with red ears soon poked through it.

"Petalpah!" Claykit squeaked as he ran up to her. "I haven't seen you in a while!" The she-cat stepped all the way through and sat down outside the den.

"I know, I'm sorry, but I've just been so busy!" She explained. "Puddlestep has been working my fur off with advanced warrior training!"

"I bet you'll be da bestest warrior dere is!" Claykit chimed. He was so happy to see Petalpaw that he forgot what Bramblekit had been talking about moments ago.

"Nu-uh! You better watch out for me!" Bramblekit argued with his rump wriggling in the air. "Someday, I'll be Bramblestar, the bravest leader of ThunderClan!"

"An' me too!" Claykit yelled, refusing to be outdone by his friend. "I'll be Cwaykit-stah, da most biggest and auhsome weader in…in da _entire_ forwest!" The pup then threw himself at Bramblekit and the pair began to play wrestle yet again. As they rolled around without a care, they soon bumped into something hard and sturdy.

"Excuse me, but can you kits go waste someone else's time someplace else?" A cat growled from above them. Bramblekit and Claykit stopped playing and looked up to see a big, red tabby tom glowering over them.

"Who's dat?" Claykit asked tentatively as he shrunk a little ways behind his playmate. He had never seen this cat before and the older tom's intimidating green gaze made the young dog feel uncomfortable.

"Fuzzpaw, once of Petalpaw's brothers." Bramblekit told him as a small, involuntary scowl making its way onto his face.

"Petalpah has _bwothers_?" Claykit questioned, completely astonished. He had no idea, no one had ever told him.

"Learn to speak right, little runt." Fuzzpaw hissed. Claykit couldn't believe this tom was related to Petalpaw; even more so to his mother! They were so nice, and he was so…grumpy.

"Does dat mean my da is your da too?" The pup then asked innocently. Fuzzpaw in turn threw his head back and let out a sarcastic laugh.

"PAHAHA! _Your _dad? You're such a mouse-brained idiot! Brackenfur is no-"

"So, what are you doing here, Fuzzpaw?" Petalpaw quickly interrupted. The pale-red apprentice shot her a look and narrowed his eyes.

"Heh, you can't hide the truth forever, you know." He muttered underneath his breath. "Anyway, I came to get you. We're leaving to go patrolling with Darkstripe and Puddlestep."

"Oh, okay!" Petalpaw beamed. "Sorry Claykit, Bramblekit, I gotta go! See you later!" She gave Claykit a quick lick and Bramblepaw a playful nudge before trotting off with Fuzzpaw at her side. Claykit stood there and watched them leave, confusion running throughout his mind.

_Wha did Fuzzypah mean by "you can't hide da twuth for-eber?" Why do I get the fweeling all da cats are hiding somden from me?_

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	6. Lies

_Sorry if you find Claykit's dialect to be annoying, but he can't help but have some type of lisp. It's really hard for a dog to bark a meow. Also, this chapter may have slight triggers for some people, so I'm putting the warning label here. Read at your own risk. Surely, you guys didn't expect this story to be all sugar and rainbows, right? ;D_

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_**Arc I **_

- **Chapter 5: Lies **-

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_"And then Firestar, Fireheart then,_ leaped through the flames and grabbed Bramblekit before the whole tree caught on fire!" Cloudstream meowed, dramatically shaking his paws around.

"Wow! Firestah did all dat? Did he die? Wha happened next?" Claykit asked, his stout, round paws kneading the soft grass eagerly. He was spending his afternoon with Cloudstream, a gray-pelted, white streaked senior elder. Since Bramble_paw_ was named an apprentice a moon ago, Claykit had to find other means of entertainment because his buddy was unfortunately almost always too busy to play with him. This led the pup to the elders den, where all the elder cats hissed at him to go away with the exception of Cloudstream. The gray elder ordered the pup to search his pelt of a particularly painful tick that resided deep within his thick fur. Claykit did as he was told and after finding the perpetrator, Cloudstream, now less grumpy with the removal of his problems, thanked him gratefully and asked in return if he wanted to hear an old tale of ThunderClan. The pup eagerly responded with a yes, as he was happy to lap up any attention other from his family. From there, a true, genuine friendship formed between the two and for the past half-moon, Claykit has kept Cloudstream content with his needs in exchange for an exciting story of the past or a good laugh. For the first time, the young dog felt wanted by someone other than _the usual._

Claykit knew the term that he personally used for Brackenfur, Rosetail, Bramblepaw and Petalpaw was wrong, but the pup just couldn't help it. Although he appreciated his family and friends more than anything in the stars, he still felt hollow, incomplete and most of all, _lonely_. He tried branching out to other members of ThunderClan with bright smiles and eagerness, but most gave him one or two word answers or just bluntly growled at him and stalked away. Was there something the pup was doing wrong? Did he reek of fox-dung? Was his speaking problem that big of an issue? Why did nearly every cat in his home, his place of birth, his heritage, dislike him?

This was the question that Claykit still did not know the answer to and at this point in time, the pup was willing to do _almost _anything to uncover the secret mystery.

"Heheh, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out," Cloudstream continued before grunting with effort as he tried to stretch. "Right now my bones are acting up again. It's this darn leaf-fall weather!"

"Aww, come on! You always weave cwiff hangers at da bestest parts!" Claykit complained, but he went ahead and stood up towards the entrance of the elders den. "Alwight, you win. I'll come see you waiter!" Cloudstream replied with a soft goodbye as he watched the pup leave the elders den. As Claykit padded towards the lichen screen, his eyes clouded with worry for his senior friend. _Wha would make him feel bettah?_ Claykit mused. _Waih… I know! Some fwesh new mosh!_

As he fully emerged from the den, the first cat he saw was Ashfur. "Hiya, Ashfur!" The pup greeted as he padded up to the young, gray spotted warrior who was talking with Puddlestep.

"Oh… Hey, Claykit." He muttered hesitantly. Puddlestep gave Ashfur an awkward nod, before getting up and padding away.

"Do ya know where I can find da most freshest mosh?" Claykit inquired, his hazel eyes shining with determination.

"Oh moss? There's some growing on that old tree by the training hollow." Ashfur replied. He then quickly narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Wait a minute, don't tell me you're going to go out there by yourself?"

"Uhhh… Of course not!" Claykit put in quickly. "Err, my da said he'll go out with me to get some mosh for the elders."

"Brackenfur is out on patrol right now."

"Yeah…dat's why I want to meet him out dere when he's done patrollwing."

"But you don't even know how to get there."

"Exactwy! It'll be good pwactice for me later on! I'll use my nose to help me sent out the sandy smell of the howow." _Mouse-bwained excuse!_ Ashfur looked at the pup strangely with his dark blue eyes.

"…Alright, do what you like, but if you get into trouble, don't blame me." The gray-flecked warrior concluded, obviously satisfied that the conversation was over. He stood up and walked over to the warriors den. Claykit let out a sigh of relief and headed to the dirtplace. There was a narrow escape behind it where he could exit without being seen by other cats. This wouldn't be the first time Claykit had left camp without permission, but he always made sure not to venture too far into the vast forest.

"Okay, lemme do dis qwick and go behind-"

"And go to the where, you say?" Flinching at the sudden growl, Claykit turned to see a big white and blue-gray tom staring back at him with piercing, ice-blue eyes.

_Son of a badger…_Jus_ the cat I need. _

"Oh hello, Eagleclaw," Claykit muttered with a certain cocky edge in his voice. "I was just saying dat I need to be qwick 'bout going to the dirtpwace so I can go back and pway." Claykit had never liked Eagleclaw, for the reason that he never liked him. Sure, mostly everyone doesn't like Claykit, but at the top of the list was Eagleclaw.

"Oh really?" The experienced warrior challenged, taking a step closer.

"Yah, reawy, so if ya don't mind, can ya go do somden else?" The brown, black and white pup had also taken a step forward. He wasn't afraid of this big-nose-know-it-all-wanna-be-thinks-he's-so-good-lookin'-leader-of-StinkyClan.

"Hey, you better watch who you're talking to," Eagleclaw warned, his intense, blue eyes flaring with resentment. "Do you know who I am or are you so stupid that you need to be told again? The name's Eagleclaw, mouse-brain, and don't forget the power I possess." He flexed his claws in and out as if to make a statement.

"Oh, I'm sowwy. How could I forgwet?" Claykit threw back at him_. Huh! Who does dis cat dink he is- a special giff from StarCwan? Tch, yeah wight!_ "Keep on bullying me, but guess wha? Dat's not going to get'cha anywhere cuz I'm not affected by it cuz my ma told me to ignore twouble makers like you."

"PHAHA!" Eagleclaw threw his head back as a deep bellow coursed throughout his body. "That piece of fox dung isn't worth the skin on a rat's tail."

"'Scuse me? Wha did ya say?" Claykit snarled with his voice surprisingly reaching a rather low octave, despite his age. His tail was held erect in the air and his hazel eyes were narrowed into thin slits. Hot anger began to bubble in Claykit's paws and he found that he had to knead at the ground to keep from burning himself. Eagleclaw had a way of getting Claykit ticked off rather quickly. He constantly badgered him, taunting that the pup was stupid, weak and unimportant. Overtime, the pup learned to ignore his insults and retort with him own but never before had the gray-blue warrior mocked his mother. That right there in itself had crossed the line. Claykit would take a beating, both physically and emotionally without fighting back but if your insult his mother- the very she-cat who brought him into this world, cared for him, and loved him- _that_ it itself is what the pup would not let slide.

_p-...k-...ki-...kiii-..._

As Claykit worked hard to keep his anger under control, he slowly became aware of the dark, growl-type chant that started to surface from the back of his mind. It was a low, illiterate drawl but as time when on, it became more understandable, more aggressive, more... _manipulative_.

Oblivious to the mental struggle that Claykit was experiencing, Eagleclaw repeated his accusation."That- piece of fox-dug- is not worth- the skin- on a rat's tail." A smug grin folded out on the arrogant warrior's features. "Huh, what a shame. I guess you really are too stupid to see it for yourself."

_pr-...ki-...preee...kiiiii-..._

Eagleclaw then gave Claykit a straight face, his ice-blue eyes hard as stone. "She is no longer worthy to be among the ranks of ThunderClan; her or Brackenfur- and ESPECIALLY you."

_k...ill...p...rey... kill prey...prey kill...Kill. Prey. KILL PREY. PREY KILL. KILL NOW PREY!_

It was then that Claykit snapped. Something inside of him, something that had been buried deep down within him broke through his skin and into the outside world. The pup's vision blurred to nothing other than the target before him. The only thing that Claykit could think about was to dig his little but sharp claws into the rude tom's flank and tear his fur out. Shred his ears and muzzle. Rip him limb from limb. To_ kill_ him. "SHUT UP!" The pup barked as he slammed into Eagleclaw with his paws outstretched. Eagleclaw let out a screech of shock and stumbled sideways to land face first in the thorn bush beside the dirtplace secret exit.

The gray and white warrior yowled again as he struggled to pull himself out of the bush. When he finally did, there were small clumps of fur left in his wake. Scratches resided all over his face with the deepest one down his right eye, which was swollen shut.

Claykit gaped at him, completely horrified. One moment, the pup had been staring the gray warrior down and then in the next, his opponent had ended up face first in the thorn bushes. _Wha the—Gweat StarCwan, I-I didn't mean to do dat! _

"You…" Eagleclaw growled as he regained composure. With his one good eye, he shot Claykit a loathsome glare. "I'm going to make you pay."

"No, no! I-I'm sowwy! I din mean to-" Unfortunately for Claykit, Eagleclaw had dashed out of the dirt tunnel before he could finish. After a moment's hesitation, Claykit chased after him. Once into the clearing, the pup saw the tip of Eagleclaw's tail vanish in the lichen screen of Firestar's den and Claykit stopped dead in his tracks. That was it. The deed was done now. Eagleclaw would tell Firestar how he had pushed him into the bramble bush and the pup would be punished for it.

_Perfwect, jus my luck! Way to go, you mouse-heart! ... Ngghh…Why couldn't I contwol myself back dere?_

_...Because he spilled mouse-bile over your mother, _answered a differentvoice at the back of his mind. Part of him knew that was true, but that was still not an adequate rebuttal. Clan mates were _never_ supposed to turn on each other without a justifiable motive- and his was definitely not such. Claykit shuddered as the recent events replayed in his mind. He had never felt so much anger running through his veins before.

No... it wasn't anger. It was a raging current of_ resentment_ that infected his blood. Tainted his state of mind. Poisoned all forms of rational reasoning. It took over his body with utmost ease and just as quickly as the phenomenon surfaced, it disappeared back into its dark depths instantly. Where had this strong, negative feeling come from? _It waz wike I waz possess-ed or someden_, Claykit thought, his body shivering from shock._ I've neber felt wike dat before...and I didn't wike it._

Suddenly, a thunderous yowl sounded from inside Firestar's den, interrupting Claykit from his thoughts. Then came Firestar himself, darting out of it and onto Highrock in two enormous leaps, easily dodging the small puddle that had collected at the bottom of the base due to recent rains.

"Let's all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather at Highrock for an _urgent _clan meeting!" He shouted immediately. Cats that were in camp trotted swiftly over to the base of the rock with perplexed faces. As everyone began to settle down, Firestar kept glancing through all the cats as they approached. It looked as if he was searching for someone.

_Searching for me, _Claykit thought grimly.

"Where is Claykit?" Firestar demanded. Claykit froze as cats shuffled out of his way to give him space. Feeling vulnerable, the young pup pressed himself as close to the ground as possible.

"Come forward." Firestar growled.

Claykit didn't move. He couldn't.

"Come forward. _Now_." Firestar repeated, the rest of his patience growing thin. Claykit winced, but he finally did what he was told. Belly still hugging the earth, he looked up at Firestar with wide, anxious eyes.

"What's this Eagleclaw has just told me?" Firestar questioned as he beckoned Eagleclaw forward with his tail. As the gray warrior stepped out of the shadows of Highrock, every cat let out a gasp of surprise.

"E-Eagleclaw?"

"What in StarClan's name?!"

"You're bleeding badly!"

"Someone go fetch Cinderpelt!"

"Claykit," Firestar continued, ignoring the outbursts that came from the cats below. "Is it true that you _deliberately_ attacked Eagleclaw for no apparent reason?" More gasps of shock spilled from the crowd.

_Wha the- I did not!_

Claykit averted his gaze to briefly look at Eagleclaw. The bruised warrior had a devious smirk on his face as he stared back at Claykit._ I told you, you would pay,_ he seemed to speak though his cold eyes. Claykit scowled at the gray warrior, then abruptly stood up at full height and looked Firestar right in the eye.

"Of cwourse not!" The pup argued, accusingly pointing with his front paw at Eagleclaw. "That cat over dere is tewwing a big, fat lie!" Yet again, more startled gasps filled the atmosphere.

"Oh, is that so?" Longtail retorted discourteously from the sidelines.

"Yah so!" Claykit shot back. "Wha happened was dat I was mindin' my own bizness, goin to da dirt pwace when he stopped me! He started sayin….bad things and I didn't want to hear it…so-so I pushed 'em and he landed in the thworn bush by accident and scwatched up his eye! I din mean to hurt 'em on purpwose… I swear…"

"Oh yeah, when hedgehogs fly." Cloudtail commented, his blue eyes rolling in distaste. Several other cats of the group murmured in agreement.

"Come on, Firestar. We've seen something like this coming from rabbit lengths away with _it._" Mousefur added in resentfully. Claykit gaped as he could not believe what he was hearing.

_Seriouswy? Dey don't bewieve me?_

"For da wov of StarCwan, I am telwing da twuth!" Claykit fought again, refusing to give up.

"Firestar, would you really believe me over _it_?" Eagleclaw asked ever so _innocently_ to his leader. Firestar sat there with his tail swishing irritably, his eyes deep in thought and body rigid with confliction. As he was reflecting, the crowd of cats broke out in murmurs again.

"I knew you couldn't turn your tail on _it_."

"I say we rid of _it _now!"

"Yah! _It _hasalready proven _its' _disloyalty!"

_It. It. It._ Claykit was tired of that word!

"Dat's enoufh!" The pup yelled with his face scrunched in a scowl. "I'm tired of dis! Jus tell me alweady! Wha's wrong with me, huh? Jus wha is it that makes everybody woath me so much?" The clearing quickly fell into an awkward lull of silence.

"Claykit…Everyone's different in their own-" Petalpaw hesitantly spoke up from the side of the group before she was interrupted.

"No! It's obiouswy way bigger dan dat." The pup barked before turning to glare at the she-cat. "Don't dink I don't notice the way everyone wooks at me, tweats me? Wha's wrong with me? _Who_ am I? _What_ am I?" Claykit felt that he was going to go crazy if he didn't get answers soon.

Just then, Rosetail stepped forward and walked toward Claykit. "Come here, little one." She said softly, gesturing with her red tail. Claykit, briefly surprised by his mother's interruption, hesitantly took a step forward and followed her. The queen led him to the front of the group and sat down at the border of the puddle beneath Highrock. Rosetail then leaned forward so the water showed a beautiful red and white she-cat.

"Look into the water, Claykit." The pup did as he was told and looked into the water. A small brown, black and white creature appeared with big, floppy ears, long snout and a rather stout build. Claykit couldn't help but feel confused.

_I-is dat me? Why do I look so…diffwent?_

"Now Claykit, I am about to tell you something you should've know a long time ago, but before I do, I want you to know that I love you for who you are and I always will." Rosetail whispered softly. Claykit swallowed hard as his paws began to sweat. Suddenly the truth didn't seem so inviting.

Before speaking, Rosetail took a very long, deep breath. "Claykit…" She said with her voice trembling. "You are not a cat. You are a dog."

The world seemed to stop spinning. The birds stopped chirping. The trees stopped swishing in the leaf-fall air.

_A-a-a….d-dog? No…no way…_

Claykit was aware of the term and what exactly the creature was. He had found out through some cats, but it seemed that when they told him, they experienced some kind of tragic epiphany. Their eyes would become dark with deep thought and when they would look back down at the pup, resentment would flare in their features. Some let out a low, almost inaudible growl before turning tail to stalk off while others would shred away from the confused pup, wanting nothing more to do with him. Apparently, a dog was a rather large and brutal beast that literally killed cats for the fun of it. Because no one actually described the physical appearance of a dog, Claykit had always imagined that they were some ferocious, badger-like creatures with huge, sharp fangs, ready to eat a pawful of kits. Oh, how blissfully_ wrong_ he was-one could almost laugh at the irony of the situation.

Claykit was a living, breathing example of the clan's most feared and hated enemy.

"Brackenfur had found you when you were an almost dead infant," Rosetail continued on, her voice small and tentative. "It was believed that you had been left by your real mother when those dogs fell into the gorge, so Brackenfur took you back to ThunderClan and I offered to become your foster mother.

_No…no._ Claykit began to shake his head, his ears and tail drooping in disbelief.

"Claykit, I'm sorry you were hidden from the truth for so long..."

_No. No._

"I haven't realized what pain I put you through..."

_No. No! NO!_

"I still deeply love you no matter w-"

It was then that Claykit snapped for the second time that day. "NO! NO YOU DON'T" He barked furiously, his hazel eyes brewing up a storm of rage. "If you woved me _so much_ den you would of weft me to die!"

Claykit then let out a short, dry laugh as an angry smile of disapproval etched its way onto his muzzle. "Bwinging a dog into a cat's world? Dat's compwetely mouse-bwained! No wonder everyone hates me! Every day when cats see me, dey wook at me with those disgwusted faces and cowld eyes!" Petalpaw tried to step in to calm Claykit down, but the pup wasn't having any of it. "BE QWIET, let me finish! Do any of you know how _hard_ it's been living a life wike dis- caught up in some unknown wie?"

"My whole wife, I jus wanted to fit in, to pwease you all! I work my hardest evwey day to twy to be da bestest dat I could and wha do I get for it? Nothin'! Absolutwey _nothin'_!" Claykit sniffed as he hastily wiped away the forbidden liquid from the corner of his eyes. "You shoulda…shoulda jus…why would you risk- ARGH! I've had jus 'bout enoufh of dis!"

"Had enough of what?" Asked a new voice. Claykit whipped his head around to see Brackenfur with Bramblepaw, Darkstripe and Fuzzpaw. Looks like they had just came back from patrolling.

_Bwackenfur… Ugh!_

Claykit stomped right up to the golden-brown warrior and looked him straight in the eye. "You…" He growled. "How could you do dis to me? Wha did I ever do to deserve dis?!" Brackenfur tilted his head to the side, quite taken aback by the sudden rage from the pup.

"Claykit, what are you-"

"You know _exactwy_ wha I mean, so don't pway stupid with me!" Claykit barked before then turning to face Bramblepaw, unwilling to hear Brackenfur's reply.

"And some fwiend you are, wetting me live my whole wife in a wie." Bramblepaw looked distraught, but he said nothing, for he could not. His mouth had tried to form words- something coherent, understandable- but everything had lodged in his throat like a trapped bone. All the brown apprentice could do was lower his head in acceptance. Claykit then glanced back at Brackenfur and Rosetail, eyes full of rage and grief.

"You are not my parwents." He faced Firestar.

"You are not me weader." He looked at Bramblepaw.

"You are not my fwiend." And finally he glared at Eagleclaw.

"And you-!" The pup spat. "You are not my cwanmate, nor anyone else! ThunderCwan is not my home!" And with that, Claykit shoved his way through the crowd of cats and sprinted out of the camp entrance.

"Claykit, wait!" Brackenfur yelled, but Claykit didn't stop. He just kept on running as fast as he could into the vast forest.

_How could dey do dis to me?_ He mused before he tripped over a charred branch and fell into a pile of leaves, but he continued running, unphased by his slip. He needed to get out of ThunderClan territory, far as he could from the cats he thought he loved…Far from the negativity…Far from the _lies_.

_I feel so…_disgusted _with myself…_

As time passed, Claykit felt warm, wet streaks run down the side of his face, but the pup kept on, only now with his eyes shut and head down. After a couple more strides, Claykit suddenly felt as if he were free, with no weight- like walking on the plump, white clouds during green-leaf. But then abruptly, the lost pup got cold, heavier and found that it was difficult for him to breathe.

Claykit had fallen into the river.

The dismantled pup battled futilely at this unknown enemy. His paws were splashing up waves of water as the current dragged him further and further downstream. Then unexpectedly, a rather large wave hit him and he went under.

_Help! Help!_ He cried effortlessly. When he resurfaced, Claykit only had a mouse-length long of a moment to breathe before he crashed into an extruding rock.

Bam.

The impact had knocked everything out of him and the pup tumbled under again. Too weak to fight back, Claykit let himself fall deeper and deeper into the deep blue.

_Is dis da end? _

…

_Tch, well in a stwange and cruel way, I guess I got wha I wished for._

Claykit then closed his eyes as the last of the air bubbles escaped from his nose and mouth, ready to face his inevitable fate head on.

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_**Thoughts, comments, questions or concerns? **_

_**Leave a review and tell me what's on your mind and I will respond to them via PM!**_

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	7. Revival

_Yah so…Microsoft Word now officially hates me for voicing Claykit. You would not believe how many red squiggles I am seeing right now._

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_**Arc I **_

- **Chapter 6: Revival** -

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_Why…Why won't my body jus give it up? I've been floatin' in this dark wealm for-eber… Is dis some kinda sick joke…? _

_Why won't I jus _die _alweady? _

Claykit floated motionlessly in the dark abyss, waiting for his end to surface. It was rather uncanny if someone were to see the state that the pup was in. His once wide and lively, hazel eyes were half-lidded and unfocused as they stared out into the black nothingness. His mouth hung slightly ajar and a little bit of saliva was trailing from his jowls. His usual short, shinning coat was dull and dirty; the clear, intricate designs of where his fur changed color were no longer visible for all the colors just seemed to mash together in a disorderly fashion. Honestly, the vague, rise and fall action of his chest was the only indication that supported the thought that the pup was actually still alive. He was literally the embodiment of a kits' worst nightmare.

As Claykit continued to aimlessly drift within the black void, he became dimly aware of the small, blue ray of light that was slowly streaming towards him. The pup's eyes still remained glazed over as be began to follow this strange entity. As the blue light got closer to him, it soon started to make out the blurred image of an animal…a cat. The mysterious transparent shadow started circling Claykit, murmuring inaudible words. As it moved, bits of stardust trailed from it, creating a starry, midnight scene. Then suddenly, it stopped moving altogether to stand in front of Claykit.

"Ya hear to take me away?" It was more statement than question. The translucent figure stared back at Claykit with narrowed, yellow eyes. Besides the vague outline of the body, its' eyes and mouth were the only true things that could be clearly made out.

"No," Came its' curt, gruff reply. "I've come to take you _back_." Claykit's head immediately shot upwards as his eyes became focused again. He started at the figure in disbelief, his body rigid with shock.

"Wha?! Wha da ya mean, _take me back?_ I've got nothin' to go back to!" The brown, black and white pup squinted his eyes in pain as the latest of current events started replaying in his head. "My so-called famiwy and fwiends _lied_ to me. My whole existence was forged around dis and quite fwankly, I'd wather not be a part of it any longer. I should've alweady been _dead _anyway!"

"Well, that's too bad that you feel that way. My decision isn't changing." Claykit clawed angrily at the air around him after that statement, causing the star dust to swirl around them in little flurries.

"Why?! I'm stupid and usewess, a bad turn of events that these cats had to suffah thwough. Why do you dink I would want to retwurn to dat?" The pup was demanding answers, his tone on the verge of becoming a growl.

The vague figure then chuckled dryly before responding. "Huh, you see yourself as some type of _malcadh, _don't you?" The entity's eyes began to dart accusingly across the form of Claykit. The pup in return gaped at him as if he had grown a second head. _A mal- wha?_ "As far as I see, you don't have any deformities of the sort- well… at least physically. You may view this river as your _tummfraw_, but it is not. You do not have one and you shall not die here today."

"I'm sowwy, but can ya use some terms I undastand? I don't have a cwue wha you're gettin' at!"

"Sure you do." The figure argued, its voice also the beginnings of a growl. "I'm only speaking the tongue of your ancestors- you should understand it. Scratch that- I _know_ you do." Claykit narrowed his eyes to mere slits at the accusation. _What da heck is dis cat talkin' about? Ancestwors? Undastandable? I have no idea wha he-_

_Malcadh- The "cursed one". Typically a being who is born with a deformity and casted out by his family._

_Tummfraw- The place where a _malcadh_ is left to die. _

Claykit felt his jaw drop as those definitions suddenly appeared in his head. How did he know what they meant? He had never heard of them before until now!

"It runs deep in your marrow, just like with any other dog." The transparent figure stated, as if hearing the pup's inner turmoil. "You may think you know _only_ the ways of the cats, but you can't shake your foundation."

"Shut up!" Claykit barked angrily, swiping a paw at the figure. To his dismay however, his attempt went straight through the entity, the crystal-like stars being the only things disrupted within the dark void. "Ya don't dink I don't know dat I'm a dog? Dank's for the news flash, but I'm not stupid!"

"You sure about that? I'm pretty sure you're the one who just called yourself that a moment ago…but then again, with the way you talk in all…" Claykit let out a snarl of distaste, his hazel eyes flashing with anger.

"You…you annoywing, _canker-wivered_-"

"Canker-livered?" The translucent form cut in, yellow eyes widening in shock. "Ouch, that cuts deep. For someone so young and so new to this, you've got quite the colorful vocabulary." Claykit's eyes also widened for a brief moment before scowling again.

"Wha are you talkin' about? All I said was you annowing, fox-hearted-"

"You sure about that?" The figure interrupted yet again, a strange, vague smile splaying across its muzzle. "I'm pretty sure I heard something of a different origin."

"Will you stop saywing dat!" Claykit fumed, the last of his patience wearing thin. Suddenly, the transparent form shoved his muzzle forward to that it was nose to nose with the pup. Claykit couldn't prevent the sudden wave of nervousness that washed over him.

"Listen to me, Claykit." It was the first time the entity had said the pup's name and it made the subject's pelt prickle with unease. "You. Are._ Gifted_. You have the intelligence and aptitude that even a whole clan of cats could not even come _close_ to rivaling, but you need to believe in yourself to awaken those attributes first. You must live out the life that you were destined to, whether you want to or not. My span here has expired and so has yours- it is time for us to leave this ominous void. You have a great destiny planned out for you, so don't give up."

"_Don't give up, don't give up…"_ The words continually echoed across the blackness as the transparent figure slowly began to fade. Claykit involuntarily reached with an out-stretched paw in an attempt to catch the eerie, vanishing being.

"Waih!" Claykit yelled out. "H-hold on a minute! Ya jus can't suddenwy say stupid rubbish and den disappear an'pect me to know wha you're talking about!" Unfortunately, his efforts were futile. As if to cut his ties off harshly from the pup, the cat-like figure abruptly burst into small, blue orbs and dissolved into thin air. The abyss had now returned back to its' black nothingness. Suddenly, Claykit felt a sharp nick in his neck as some unknown force started dragging him upward. The pup lashed out with his paws in an attempt to get free, but it didn't help loosen the grip on his scruff.

"Hey you." A voice echoed around him. "Get up."

Silence.

"Oh, come on."

Still no response.

"For the love of mice in green leaf, WAKE UP!"

_Nggghh…Wha…?_ Claykit opened his eyes groggily, but soon found himself squinting as bright light smacked him in the face. I had been a while since he'd seen the sun.

"Good, now that you're awake, you can leave my territory." The same voice growled to the left of him. Claykit glanced over to see a gray cat with long, drenched fur standing next to him. Confused, the young dog took a moment to observe his surroundings. This definitely wasn't the dark realm anymore; this place was filled with bird song, grass, and blue skies. A river raged on beside him as he looked to the side of the river bank. Trees stood tall on the other side, swaying in the wind as if they were dancing.

Then it hit Claykit. He wasn't dead. He was on the other side of ThunderClan terrain, probably in RiverClan territory. He had somehow made it through the ordeal of falling into the ravine. _So, I weally am awive, huh? Gweat…_ With a heavy sigh, Claykit sat down and looked out into the river, not even bothering to shake the water from his pelt.

"Hey! Didn't I just tell you to leave?" The gray cat rumbled again. "Oh wait, you're a dog, so you're too stupid to understand cat. If you can't understand me with tongue, maybe you will with claws." The opposing cat got down in a crouching position and flexed his claws in and out in a clear warning to the intruding pup. Claykit glanced over to the threat nonchalantly and scratched his ear with his hind leg, as if he was bitten by a flea. He then let out a big yawn and arched his back, his hazel eyes heavy with fatigue. He had other, bigger, more important issues to deal with such as- what in the actual heck was he supposed to do now?!

"That's it!" The gray cat suddenly sprang onto Claykit, claws unsheathed. Claykit let out a yip of alarm as his back hit the hard rock of the bank below him. With the pup's belly exposed, the gray cat landed squarely on top of him and put his paws to Claykit's neck. The victim in turn squirmed as he felt claws on the verge of piercing through his skin. Once the cat got a decent hold of Claykit, he stood up on his hind legs and flung the startled pup a couple of mouse-lengths away. "Get out of here, you mangy mutt!"

Claykit landed on the rocks with a grunt and struggled back up to regain his composure."Alwight, alwight. StarCwan knows wha you'll do to me if I stay." Claykit murmured as he brought his paws up and motioned them in the infamous gesture of "calm the heck down". The pup then turned to limp away down the bank. The gray cat on the other hand stood a few paces away, his mouth ajar with shock.

"W-wait!" He called as he caught up to Claykit. "How do you know StarClan and…how-how do you understand cat?"

"Wha does it matter? You just twied to kill me." Claykit grumbled agitatedly as he continued walking. Why can't this cat just leave him alone? He has already been through enough today. With his former clan abandoning him and with the words of the strange, transparent entity from the dark void still fresh on his mind, Claykit wanted to do nothing more than just get away from it all. Unfortunately, the pup's wishes were not met as the gray cat then jumped forward to block his path of escape.

"Now, hold on just a minute," The cat uttered before pointing towards a bush with his tail. "Sit." Letting out an irritated groan, Claykit begrudgingly did as he was instructed. He really wasn't in the mood to have his tail handed to him again. As he settled down, the gray cat went over to the river's edge and peered down into it. Not even moments had passed did he strike his paw into the water and scoop out a fish. While it flopped futilely on the ground, the cat pounced and killed it in an instance. Claykit had to say that he was truly impressed. He had never seen something like that before, the kill executed so neatly and swiftly.

"Eat." The cat persisted.

"Fish? Are you cwazy? Thunda- err…I don't eat fish…" Claykit stumbled to quickly cover up his slip of words as he eyed the fish distastefully.

"Oh? Why not?" The cat questioned.

"Cuz, well uhh…"

_*Grooooooooowwl*_

The gray cat then let out a _mrrow_ of laughter. "Well, your stomach obviously disagrees." He nosed the fish closer to Claykit. "Eat, mouse-brain." Letting out another sigh, Claykit crouched down and reluctantly began to eat the fish. He was soon surprised to find out that it didn't taste _that_ bad. However, the slick, slimy texture was more than enough to make the pup gag and he picked up the pace of eating because of it. He wanted the unwelcome sensation to be over with as quickly as possible. When Claykit was finished eating the somewhat horrendous meal, he buried the bones in the earth.

"Wow. I can tell there's something special about you. Most dogs I see aren't this…well…cat-like. Where did you come from?" Claykit didn't answer. Instead, he just turned his body away from the cat to gaze up into the early gathering Silverpelt, his hazel eyes dark in deep thought. The gray tom grunted slightly as he shifted next to Claykit.

"Silverpelt sure is pretty, huh?" He murmured quietly. When Claykit still didn't respond, he continued. "You know, when I first saw you drowning in the river, my initial reaction was to let you be- after all, what business would I have with a dog?" Claykit felt his body tense at the tom's words, but he remained mute.

"But as I began to walk away... something told me to save you, even if you were a just dog and not my kin. Heh, that's what someone did to me a while back even though we were enemies then." The gray cat paused as a bittersweet look crept into his yellow eyes. "I knew I couldn't let you die right then and there, so I jumped in and pulled you out. Thankfully, no one from another patrol saw me. Well…at least I hope not." Claykit's twitched a floppy ear in response, however, the gray cat couldn't tell the gesture was out of interest or agitation.

"Yah… I'm kinda sorry for being a badger back there. It's just… I guess I was worried about the safety of my clan if there was a dog running loose in our home." Claykit stiffened again and narrowed his eyes at that remark. "No offense!" The gray cat added hastily. "Anyway, I'm Graystripe. I live in RiverClan, although I used to live in ThunderClan a few moons back." Graystripe then turned his head to look at Claykit, his facial features taking on a more serious demeanor. "You're from ThunderClan too, right?" Claykit let out a bark of astonishment and Graystripe in turn chuckled slightly at his reaction.

"If you're wondering how I know, it's because I smell it on you." Graystripe stated brusquely. "And when you said that you don't eat fish; that was a dead giveaway. Plus, you at least had to be from _some clan_ if you've known about StarClan, how to speak cat and how to clean up your food." Claykit blinked vaguely as he took it all in. Was it _that_ obvious?

"Well, you're wrong." Claykit muttered indignantly without making eye contact. "ThundaClan is not my cwan-I have no cwan." Graystripe found himself tilting his head to the side. He knew that the pup was lying, and it was obvious that he wasn't going to get answers by treading lightly around the subject. It was time to take the blunt approach.

"Why would you leave ThunderClan? It's the best clan out there!" _How in the name of StarClan did you end up with ThunderClan and why did Firestar allow for any of this to happen? _- but Graystripe made sure to keep those thoughts to himself.

"Den why did _you_ weave if its da best out dere?" The words came out before Claykit had the chance to process them and the pup made sure to cuff himself inwardly. _Nice goin' makin' it obious, mouse-bwain!_

"…Touché…but I have my reasons."

"And so do I."

Graystripe narrowed his eyes at the pup's hasty remark. "Huh, you're a feisty little rabbit, aren't you?"

"And you're a thwush that might become pwey if you don't stop puttin your beak into evewyting!" Claykit shot back, irritated that the cat before him would let up on his prying. Hasn't Gray-whatever caught on to the fact that he wasn't in the mood for talking?

"Well, can you at least tell me your name?" Graystripe asked, a slight tang of hesitance in his voice.

_Claykit_, but the subject found himself frowning at hearing the name. Oh, how _stupid_ of a name it was. He was most definitely _not_ a kit! "…My name does not mattah." Claykit answered after a small pause before rolling over on one side to close his eyes. Today had been both physically and emotionally vigorous enough and the pup just wanted to do nothing more than sleep it off. Graystripe felt his tail droop slightly in disappointment, but this time, he decided not to press on. _If he doesn't want to tell right now, then so be it. _Sighing in slight defeat, the gray cat got up and arched his back in a big stretch.

"Well, okay uhm…I gotta go now." Graystripe put in awkwardly. "My clan may start wondering where I am. Will I see you around any?"

"Tch, like I have anywhere else to go." Claykit muttered matter-of-factly without moving. Graystripe then let out a small laugh before responding.

"I'll take that as a yes." And with that, the long-furred, gray cat padded away to leave the pup alone in his thoughts.

_Graystwipe, huh? I feel wike I've heard dat name somewha before…waih… Isn't he dat one cat that used to be best fwiends with Firestah or somden? Nggghh, I'm too tired to dink…_

Claykit closed his hazel eyes as sleep settled down upon him. He would have time to work out his thoughts better when he awoke later.

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	8. Start

_Sorry is this chapter seems a little...off. It was definitely rushed -_-;_

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_**Arc I **_

- **Chapter 7: Start** -

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_It's been fourteen sunsets since_ Claykit had ran away and ThunderClan had already returned back to its' usual routine of not have a dog in their camp. Well, all except those who actually missed Claykit, which unfortunately weren't that many. One apprentice in particular was finding it increasingly difficult to adjust to his new lifestyle.

Bramblepaw shifted all throughout his bedding as early morning sunshine poured though the leaf cover of the apprentice's den. Finally giving up in an effort to stay asleep, the brown apprentice got up and padded out the den. Unfortunately, he accidentally stepped on Fuzzpaw's tail in the process.

"Ouch! Watch where you're going, mouse-brain!" The pale-red tom growled groggily as he turned over and put his paw over his face to keep the light out.

"Sorry." Bramblepaw mumbled, reaching the entrance of the den. Bird song sang though the slowly awaking camp. It won't be much longer until Bramblepaw will be called to go on a patrol, so the apprentice decided to stretch his legs out in camp. As he trotted across the clearing, he involuntarily came up to the now empty nursery. Bramblepaw stopped immediately and let out a huge sigh. Things weren't the same without his best friend Claykit alongside him. His dialogue. His face. His big, clumsy paws. His… _differentness_. Bramblepaw missed everything about him and he couldn't help but feel guilty that he hadn't told Claykit that he was a dog before he had found out for himself. If he did, then maybe his friend would still be here.

"Still thinking of that dog, huh?" A new voice spoke, startling Bramblepaw. The young tom's belly flipped as he turned around to see his sister, Tawnypaw. She was literally one of the last cats he wanted to speak to right now. He and his sister had grown so far apart every since Bramblepaw had befriended Claykit to the point of it seems like they're never be as close as they used to be when they were kits.

"Stop letting _i__t_ drag you into a fox hole. How do you expect to be a warrior when all you do is mope around, worrying about something that doesn't matter?" Bramblepaw's ears fell back at hearing Tawnypaw's stinging words.

_How dare she? She didn't even give Claykit a chance!_

"Leave me alone." Bramblepaw muttered. He didn't want to start a fight, especially with his own sister.

Suddenly, a blaze of red fur slammed into the brown apprentice, pinning him down. "Heh, some brother you are." A voice snarled in his ear. Flipping over and off his attacker, Bramblepaw found himself face to face with Fuzzpaw.

"What's your problem?" Bramblepaw growled, teeth bared. If there was one cat that the brown tom wished could've taken Claykit's spot, it was this annoying, over-cocky tom. As far back as Bramblepaw could remember from his kit-hood, Fuzzpaw and he did not have a good history. Just like Tawnypaw, the older apprentice had disliked him all because he was affiliated with Claykit.

Snickering, Fuzzpaw then got up and started encircling the slightly smaller brown apprentice. "Tch, what kind of warrior are you, Bramble_kit_?" Bramblepaw spat at the red tom's taunt before crouching down close to the earth. He wouldn't fight his sister, but he _sure _as_ heck_ wouldn't mind smacking the smug smirk off of Fuzzpaw's face.

"You no good, rotten piece of-!"

"What in the name of StarClan are you guys doing?" Thornclaw questioned as he trotted up to the bristling toms. No longer an apprentice, the golden brown warrior had adjusted well to his new position and duties.

Fuzzpaw immediately straightened up and licked his paw calmly. "I dunno, Thornclaw. It's just that for some reason, Bramblepaw came up to me and attacked when all I was doing was having a nice chat with Tawnypaw." Bramblepaw let out a barely muted hiss, his eyes dark with disbelief and anger. _You lying badger! It's the other way around!_

Thornclaw narrowed his eyes disapprovingly at the pair of young apprentices. "Seriously? I don't care _who_ started it! You two should not be wasting your energy fighting each other!" The golden brown warrior then let out an exasperated sigh before calming down to regain his composure. "Anyway, we do not have time for this. Firestar has asked that all the apprentices gather at the gorse tunnel entrance for the announcement of a big competition."

"Big competition?" Tawnypaw echoed, curiosity taking over her features.

"Yah, and if you guys want to participate, you had better straighten up your act! Now go see Firestar, he's waiting by the tunnel to explain." With his concluding words, Thornclaw turned to head over towards the warriors den. Bramblepaw on the other paw could feel the waves of excitement rolling off of him. An apprentice competition? Finally, this was a chance to show what he was made of!

"Come on Tawnypaw," Fuzzpaw murmured as he nudged her gently with his nose. "Whatever this competition is, I'll show you how a _real_ warrior acts." Bramblepaw stuck out his tongue in disgust. Did Fuzzpaw just try to make a move on his sister, or was he seeing things? The tom then shook his head and stood up, for he could not worry about that right now. He had to focus on winning not only for himself, but for Claykit as well.

Padding over to the gorse tunnel, many cats were already gathered around it with the apprentices in the front. Bramblepaw pushed his way through the cats and chose a spot next to Petalpaw.

"What's going on?" He asked the she-cat.

"Listen, fur ball, and you just might find out!" Petalpaw teased him slightly. Bramblepaw pawed her playfully and straightened up to listen to what Firestar was saying. Throughout all the madness, he and Petalpaw had managed to maintain their friendship. If anything, the disappearance of Claykit only made their bond stronger.

"Okay, so after talking with my deputy, Whitestorm, we have decided that it would be a good experience to have our apprentices compete in a friendly, but competitive competition." Firestar continued on with his speech, his green eyes glinting a light pink in the gathering morning sunlight. "This is what will happen: Each apprentice will be sent to a designated area to catch as much prey as they possibly can by sunhigh. Once you have caught all you can from that area, you may move to the next. Areas consist of Treecut place, by Fourtrees and Sunning Rocks. The young warrior that brings back the most prey will win first pick from the fresh-kill pile and a break from taking care of the elders for a quarter moon." All the apprentices yowled in delight at that statement.

"Also, you must carry your prey with you at all times unless, of course, you're jumping to get a mouse. This means no burring prey to collect for later. Since there will be so many of you out there, it could become a problem keeping up will your collection. If you feel as if you about to fall off your paws with the amount of prey you're carrying in your mouth then you can come back to camp and drop off your load in your own premade prey hole and then go out for more. One last thing-" Firestar paused to shift his gaze of the apprentices before him.

"There will be _no_ foul play such as trying to steal prey from others, which I _know_ none of you would do. However, to make sure things stay fair, Whitestorm, Wildwind, Longtail, Ashfur and Puddlestep will be out there monitoring you, while Thornclaw and Ferncloud will keep watch of the prey holes. As for me, I will be shifting back and forth between these two jobs. Any questions?"

Skypaw then stood up, his blue-gray head tilted in bewilderment. "Firestar, where exactly are our own prey holes?" The blue-eyed apprentice inquired. Firestar nodded and also stood up, pointing with his tail a little way past the old, burnt tree stump.

"Over there are six holes where you are to put your prey. Why don't you all get up and go find yours for a moment? I'll call you all back over when it's time to start."

"Alright, cool!" Honeypaw cheered as she sprung up and ran to the stump, enthusiasm rolling off of her like a river. After a split moment's hesitation, all the other apprentices followed. As Bramblepaw caught up and stopped in front the six holes, he found himself rather confused.

"How do we know which one is ours?" Tawnypaw asked, taking the words right out of Bramblepaw's mouth.

"Simple." Petalpaw said bluntly, walking over to sit next to a hole on the far left. "This one is mine."

"How do you know that?" Skypaw questioned. Petalpaw rolled her eyes and looked down.

"Look my mouse-brained brother, my prey hole is lined with petals from a lot of different flowers. Since my name has petal in it and there are petals around my space, this one is mine."

"Oh, I get it! Honeypaw chimed as she moved to a hole next to Petalpaw. "This one is mine because it has honey around it and I'm Honeypaw!" Bramblepaw was truly impressed with the she-cats' problem solving skills. He would have never thought of that. Looking around, Bramblepaw saw a hole enlaced with brambles, so that one definitely had to be his.

"I've got mine!" He also cheered as he also moved towards his. Fuzzpaw also moved, going to a hole circled with many tufts of lost fur… err, fuzz. He had an easy one. Now there were only to holes left, one with crunched up brown, orange and black leaves and another with a thin puddle around it.

"Ahh, that was clever of them." Skypaw muttered to himself as he moved towards the puddle hole.

"Clever of them to what?" Fuzzpaw asked his brother and the blue-gray, tabby tom found himself face-pawing.

"Look 'Fuzz-brain', I have a puddle around mine and the water is reflecting the sky. Since it's not like you can just jump and grab a piece of the sky, they created a decoy to symbolize my hole."

"Smart." Petalpaw remarked.

"Yah, yah, but what about me?" Tawnypaw demanded. "How can stupid, crunched up leaves symbolize tawny?"

Bramblepaw ear twitched with anticipation, as knew why, so he decided to tell her. "Easy, the multiple leave colors mixed together-"

"Represent your tawny pelt." Fuzzpaw interrupted, causing Bramblepaw hissed slightly as if he was nipped on the leg. Did Fuzzpaw have to ruin _everything_? Before the brown tom could rebuttal, Petalpaw put her paw down on his tail to keep him from getting up.

"Drop it." She whispered so only he could hear. Sighing in defeat, Bramblepaw hunched his shoulders. He did realize that there was no reason to try to argue, especially if he wanted to participate in the competition. As if right on cue, Firestar's loud yowl sounded from the gorse tunnel.

"The apprentice competition is about to start, so come on back!" The young warriors got up immediately and raced over to where their leader and other clan mates were waiting.

"Okay, now that you guys know where to drop off your prey, it's time to get started! Petalpaw, Tawnypaw, you two take towards Treecut place first. Skypaw, Honeypaw, you both to Fourtrees. And Fuzzpaw, Bramblepaw, you two will start at Sunning Rocks." Bramblepaw's heart sank as he heard Firestar's orders. Why did he have to start off with seeing Fuzzpaw's fuzz all in his face?

"Alright, who's ready?" Firestar asked, standing up. All the apprentices in turn cheered with excitement and determination. It was finally time!

"Three…Two…One…GO!" Six young warriors sprang up to burst through the gorse tunnel, each of them off to go to their first designated area.

_Here we go, Claykit! I'm gonna win this for you!_

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_**Thanks for the reviews of these past few chapters! They mean a lot to me!**_

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	9. Goodbye

_...Huh. Well, I didn't get any feedback from the last chapter so I'm a little hesitant to post this one. Please, if you like – or hate – the chapters that I put up, leave a review, no matter how big. The feedback helps me greatly. I don't want to sound juvenile but reviews are what keep me motivated to continue to update (on time). Based on my traffic stats, this story had over 300 views on the last chapter alone and just getting possibly 3 reviews with that number would make my day. I not forcing anyone to do so, but please – just think about it, okay?_

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_**Arc I **_

- **Chapter 8: Goodbye **-

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_"Fox-dung!" Claykit barked as_ he tripped and missed his target yet again, crashing into the shrubbery off to the side.

"Balance the weight on your paws better, or you're always going to be a clumsy fur ball," Graystripe called to Claykit as the pup struggled to swim his way out of the ocean of plants. The gray cat then twitched his ear in slight irritation."And watch that tongue, you've got quite the vocabulary for a young one."

"Tch, whatevah. It's these stupid dog paws keep messing me up!" Claykit grumbled as he spat out leaves and dirt. He and Graystripe had been practicing battle and hunting techniques, along with helping Claykit speak proper cat every since he had ran away from ThunderClan fourteen sunsets ago. There were still the moments in which Claykit's lisp would return, but it was becoming unnoticeable. Whenever Graystripe could find the time to sneak away from his clan, he would come over to Claykit's hideout and help and comfort him in any way he could. Much to the gray cat's dismay however, Claykit still hadn't opened up in the slightest to him. The pup's name was still a mystery to the RiverClan warrior.

"Don't blame yourself like that, kid. Come on, let's try again." The gray tom said encouragingly. With a heavy sigh, Claykit got up and begrudgingly made his way back over to Graystripe.

"Hold on. I have an idea that may help you out with your balancing." Graystripe called as he padded over to the bank of the stream. He started pushing a rock about the size of his paw over to their "training grounds" and then he went to the bank again and picked up a flat log and put it on top of the rock.

"What's dis for?" Claykit inquired, looking at the strange set up.

"I give you, the Declumsifier!" Graystripe chanted triumphantly.

"The… who?"

"Heh, I'm just kidding, but I've seen this technique used on young apprentices in ThunderClan to help them learn how to balance across logs over rivers." Graystripe stepped onto the "Declumsifier" and instantly it started to wobble until he caught his balance. "You see, the trick is to balance the weight on your paws evenly so the wood won't tilt."

"Easy for you to say, because you're not a dog." Claykit argued under his breath. Graystripe let out a heavy sigh and walked off of the plank of wood and stood in front of the pup. The gray tom then took a moment to stare at Claykit for a while with his intense yellow eyes. He then let out a low, faint growl.

"Well, no wonder you've been making no progress. How do you expect to improve when you don't even believe in yourself to accomplish your goals?" Graystripe's words made Claykit flinch visibly.

_That's exactly what _he_ said..._

"Anyways, I gotta go, it's getting close to sun high and I have to go on a hunting patrol soon. I guess I'll see you later." And with that, the gray warrior turned and started to pad off until he stopped after about three rabbit-hops. "You should try to loosen up a bit. I can tell that this isn't really who you are. With time, things will get better for you." He finished before dashing off deeper into RiverClan territory. Claykit stood rigid as Graystripe ran off, feeling anger steaming through his pelt.

The pup began to pace back and forth, his big, stout paws thudding against the ground. He didn't ask for this. He didn't want to live his life as a dog. He didn't ask for _any_ of it. The word _dog_ just disgusted him. During his pacing, Claykit had walked over to the edge of the stream and peered into the water. The face of a scowling, young brown, black and white dog appeared within the small waves. The pup dismissed a low, resentful growl before he slashed back and forth at the water, causing his reflection to fragment.

"I hate you!" He yelled, droplets of water flying though the air in his wake. "This is all your fault! All of it, you hear me? _ALL_ of it!" Suddenly, the pup lost his balance and fell face first into the stream. Water filled through Claykit's nose and eyes, just like the last time he was in contact with water in the same situation. The pup then began to dramatically thrash around in a desperate attempt not to drown, but then he soon realized that it wasn't even deep.

"Mouse-brain." He muttered to himself as he stood and shook the water from his pelt. The water had barely came up to his belly. Regaining himself, Claykit realized that in his struggle not to drown, he ended up on the other side of the stream. Tall trees stood off a couple fox-lengths ahead of him as he was now back in ThunderClan territory. Looking back across at the other side of the river, Claykit twitched his ear in nervousness.

_It won't hurt to see the forest again... I mean, it's not like I wanna go back!_ Claykit knew he was lying to himself. He did want to go back, but the pup knew he just could not do so. Taking a deep breath Claykit slowly stepped closer and closer to the tree line. He would explore his once home-clan, but to do this, he had to make sure he kept low and hidden.

"I'm… back." He whispered as he padded into the forest.

.

..

...

..

.

Bramblepaw pounced out of his hiding place and landed neatly onto the brown rabbit. Pinning it down, he swiftly killed it off with one bite to the neck before going over to collect his pre-caught mouse and squirrel. Bramblepaw carried all three of his prey back to camp, for he knew that his was all he could hold for now. So far, things were going well with the hunting competition.

_I wonder who is winning_, he mused to himself.

Bramblepaw had already collected quite a few of prey for his prey hole and he hadn't really encountered Fuzzpaw or any of the other apprentices during the competition. Picking up the pace, the brown apprentice reached the gorse tunnel entrance and padded over to the prey holes where Thornclaw and Ferncloud were sitting.

"Nice catches, Bramblepaw!" Ferncloud praised to the apprentice as he set his prey in his prey hole. The dark-tabby tom nodded his thanks and took the time to observe what he had caught. So far, he had brought back three thrushes, two voles, two rabbits and three squirrels, in total, making ten catches. Looking over at everyone else's holes, Bramblepaw noted that his den mates, although three or so away from his numbers, were making good progress as well. The only cat who deeply worried Bramblepaw was Fuzzpaw. He had four mice, three voles and two rabbits caught. With those stats, the pale-red tom was only one prey item behind Bramblepaw.

Just then, the pale-red tom came crashing through the gorse tunnel with two more large catches in his mouth. "Fox-dung!" Bramblepaw muttered underneath his breath. T_hat put Fuzzpaw in the lead now!_ Walking with a smug swagger, Fuzzpaw went over to his prey hole and deposited his prizes. He then looked and Bramblepaw with a arrogant grin plastered across his face.

"Great job, Fuzzpaw!" Thornclaw exclaimed. "That right there will feed the elders alone!" As much as he didn't want to, Bramblepaw did have to admit that those rabbits were huge and he didn't know how Fuzzpaw could have carried those back to camp without breaking his jaw. "Alright Bramblepaw, Fuzzpaw, it's almost Sunhigh, so you guys better hurry up if you're going to go back out." Thornclaw continued, getting the apprentices attention. "If you see any of the others, please let them know as well." Fuzzpaw and Bramblepaw both nodded their understanding.

"May the best warrior win." Fuzzpaw said kindly, but by the way the pale-red apprentice's eyes danced with menace, Bramblepaw knew it was just a joke. In return, the young, brown warrior rolled his amber eyes and dashed back through the gorse tunnel.

_I have to get at least five catches by Sunhigh if I want to have a chance at winning!_

With new determination he padded his paws faster and harder into the forest.

_Hmm… If I head to the RiverClan border, I'm bound to find a lot of water voles. There easy and quick to catch in the short amount of time I have!_

It didn't take the young warrior long to get to the edge of the forest near the stream. Just as he was about to turn and travel along the stream, he saw something move within the dried grass out of the corner of his eye.

_Prey!_

Bramblepaw quickly crouched down into the hunter's position and crept forward on silent paws. Even though he knew this wasn't a water vole, he still wouldn't pass up a chance to catch easy prey. Once Bramblepaw was close enough, the apprentice sprang out of his hiding spot and landed squarely on the prey's back. It in turn let out a weird sound and fell down onto its flank. It was at this moment that Bramblepaw noted just how big the creature was- heck, it was almost his size! But strangest thing of all was that the prey had started to fight back!

_What the…?_

As it kicked with its legs and slashed with its razor sharp claws, Bramblepaw felt his skin start to rip, for it was getting down to his flesh. Letting out a battle cry, the apprentice started to fight back. He didn't have the focus to tell where he was aiming, but the brown tom kicked and batted anyway.

The unknown creature and Bramblepaw rolled and rolled in the ash-ridden grass until the apprentice was able to break away. Bramblepaw took up a defensive stance and puffed out his fur to make himself looked more intimidating. He then growled and managed to pin the being down on its belly, slashing his hind legs down its back, but it didn't feel like Bramblepaw was penetrating deep enough. The thing let out a whimper and shot up, flinging the young tom into the air. Bramblepaw then landed on the earth with a hard thud and was temporarily frozen. The creature took advantage of the situation and pounced on the fallen apprentice, causing Bramblepaw to gag at the sudden, sheer amount of force evident on his side. With nowhere else to run, the brown-tabby apprentice let out terrified wail of defeat and the creature in turn soon loosened its' grip. Bramblepaw cringed as fresh pain shot throughout his body.

_Am I going to d-die? _

The strange entity then bent down towards Bramblepaw's muzzle and stared at him with wide, light-brown eyes. It let out some weird grunt, then a couple of small whimpers. Nudging the side of Bramblepaw neck, it continued with the bizarre noises. The apprentice thought it sounded like the creature was trying to communicate with him, but it was hard for the young warrior to get his ears to concentrate properly with the river of blood roaring though them. Lifting his head slightly, Bramblepaw strained as he tried one last futile time to comprehend what the thing was saying.

"…amblepaw? Bramblepaw, answer me, please!" That voice…it sounded so familiar to Bramblepaw. After a brief moment of confusion, the apprentice was hit with a strong epiphany as everything became suddenly clear.

"Claykit…?" He whispered, his dark brown eyes wide in disbelief.

"Bramblepaw!" The pup sighed in relief, his body language visibly relaxing.

"Claykit… is that really you?" Bramblepaw hesitantly asked as he sat slightly up with his mouth agape in astonishment.

"Yah, it really is." Claykit confirmed, before his facial features fell dark. "Listen, I'm so sorry I did dis to you! I-I thought you were something else and I was just trying to defend myself! I didn't know that-"

"No, no. This… this is all my fault." Bramblepaw interrupted, his breaths coming out short, labored gasps. "If I would have used my nose and my brain, I would have recognized your scent and not attacked you because I thought you were prey." Claykit could tell that each breath was a struggle for his former friend and the pup was more ticked off than ever with himself. What in the name of StarClan had he been thinking- attacking _without_ thinking?

"Wait… Y-you're alive! Thank StarClan, you're not dead!" Bramblepaw yelled happily, but then winced slightly in pain. "Where have you been this whole time? This is great! Come on, let's go tell the clan the good news!" Bramblepaw got up and limped slowly back the way he came, until he noticed that his old friend wasn't following suit. "Come on, what are you waiting for?" He asked.

Claykit lowered his head and sat down. "I can't go back…" The pup stated quietly. Bramblepaw gaped at him in disbelief as if he had mouse bile all over his muzzle.

The brown apprentice then limped back towards his old clan mate and sat down as well. "W-why not?" Without shifting to make eye contact, Claykit instead focused on twiddling with a dead twig on the forest floor.

"I don't belong there. _Its_ like me don't bewong in a clan life." The pup then sighed before continuing. "I do want to go back, I really do, but I'll probably only cause more trouble and pain. It's best if our two different lives get as far away as possible from each other." Bramblepaw stared at the pup with his amber eyes in deep thought. Then after a couple moments of awkward silence, he spoke up.

"I…understand." Claykit nearly jumped out of his pelt at hearing his friend's response.

"Y-you do? I thought you would be mad."

"I _am_ mad," Bramblepaw corrected, his ears twitching in discomfort. "...but I guess I can understand where you are coming fr- no… sorry, I can't. I'm not a... a dog trying to live in the paws of a cat life but I…" The brown apprentice sighed as his shoulders haunched and it was his turn to suddenly realize that the forest floor had so many intriguing objects. When he spoke again, his voice was barely a whisper. "Look, what I'm trying to say is…I many not know what's it's like to be a dog, but I do know what it's like to...feel empty. If there is one thing that we have in common, it's that we don't know our…_true_ fathers." Claykit swiped his tongue over his muzzle kneaded his paws uneasily against the dry grass. The pup was aware that their clan had always kept some sort of secret from Bramblepaw and his sister, Tawnypaw, alluding to the clues to who their father was. It was a touchy subject for the brown apprentice to bring up and it startled Claykit that'd he bring it up at such a strange time.

"However…" The young brown tom continued, snapping Claykit from his thoughts. "I don't care if you were born a cat, dog, fox, or even a badger, you are still my friend." A small bittersweet smile etched its way onto his face. "I'm sure Petalpaw, Brackenfur and Rubytail would say the same thing, which is why I am going to tell them that you are alive." Claykit had to root himself to the ground to keep himself from springing up again.

"Tell them?" The pup barked in astonishment. "Especially Brackenfur and Rubytail? They'd have the whole of ThundaClan out here searching for me before you know it!" Bramblepaw frowned, but that statement was probably true. There was no need to stir the clan of Claykit's appearance to just find out that he was not returning home. The brown apprentice shuddered and the thought of what he would have to tell Brackenfur and Rubytail if that were the case. _Yah so, I found your son and I know where he is and how he's doing, but I'm not going to tell you anything else about him. Have a good day._

"Yah, I guess you're right… So, I'll just tell Petalpaw then." Bramblepaw concluded.

"But she can't know eith-"

"Oh, for crying out loud, Claykit, she is your _sister_!" Bramblepaw urged, his voice hitching slightly in desperation. "She loves you no matter what! After you disappeared, watching her try to cope has been one of the hardest things. She's trying to be strong and not show her emotions of grief, but I know deep down she is hurting badly. It's bad enough that I'm not going to tell Brackenfur or Rubytail, so the least you can do for me; for Petalpaw is to let me tell her that you are alive. Out of your whole family, she's the one who would be able to keep the quietest."

"I…guess you're right." The pup murmured reluctantly. "I just hope Petalpaw really will keep this a secret."

"She will, I know it." Bramblepaw then gave Claykit a half-smile. "I should probably get going now but…I want you to promise me something first."

"Uhm…sure. What?" Claykit questioned hesitantly.

"Promise me that…that you'll find something to fight for." Bramblepaw said, his eyes shining with determination. "You'll be out there by yourself for who knows how long. It's one thing to survive, but to actually _live_ is another."

"..." Claykit felt his mouth go dry. What could he possibly fight for? His circumstances didn't exactly line up to meet a happy ending. _Without ThundaClan, there is _nothing _to fight for_, but the pup made sure to keep his thought to himself. The last thing that he wanted was to trouble Bramblepaw further with his issues. "…I'll try my best." He concluded lamely, but Bramblepaw seemed to accept his answer with a small smile. _I can't believe I just lied to my best friend..._ Claykit felt lower than low, his pelt burning with guilt. His brown-furred friend had been there from day one, and how does he repay him? By disowning him as a friend before blindly storming out of camp and into the vast forest? By making him and his family worry to the state of unhealthiness because of his refusal to be reasonable? By attacking him and nearly ripping him to shreds after nearly a half-moon apart? By disregarding his last wish by _lying_ to him due to his own selfish needs?

_Yup, that's exactly what I just did. I can't belief myself…_

The two old companions stood in moderately awkward silence for a moment before Claykit took the initiative to speak up. "So…I guess this is goodbye, huh?" _Someone_ needed to state the obvious and Bramblepaw nodded his head solemly in agreement.

"Yah, I guess so…"

The pup then stretched his neck to lightly press his forehead against Bramblepaw's bleeding flank. "I'll miss you." He murmured quietly, almost more to himself than to the receiver of the message. Claykit hadn't realized this fact until he was faced to _formally_ say goodbye to his childhood friend. Bramblepaw, who was slightly taken aback by Claykit's actions, took a moment to understand the deeper meaning behind the pup's words.

_Great StarClan._ The apprentice mused. _I didn't realize that this'll probably be my last time seeing Claykit…_

"Me, too." Bramblepaw replied, his head turning to rest briefly on Claykit's. Before the atmosphere could get anymore dreadful, the brown apprentice pulled away and stood to his paws, refusing to acknowledge the wetness forming in the corner of his eyes. "Well, I gotta get going…I have a feeling that everyone back home will be looking for me soon. Goodbye, Claykit." Bramblepaw then turned and began limp away faster than he could of judging by his current condition. Unfortunately, by the time that Claykit was able to formulate a response, the brown apprentice had already disappeared from sight through the thick bramble and bush coverage. His friend was gone just like that and probably forever from Claykit's life and the pup unaware that his childhood-innocence had gone with him.

However, both the young dog and young tom knew that from that point on, things would never be the same in their lives again. From here, their lives split into two different paths to live out their own separate destines. The possibilities of their fates colliding again were slim to none.

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_**End of Arc I **_

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